


Arrow

by saltysayrah



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Angst, Backstory, F/M, Growing Up, Historical References, Humor, Legends, Organized Crime, Romance, Sexual Tension, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-08
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-03-21 22:08:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 55,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3705997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltysayrah/pseuds/saltysayrah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From a young age, Lau has always stood out as a charming yet cunning boy. Using this to his advantage, he plays the world around him to always get what he wants, even when he has nothing.  He ends up balancing a double life on the two extreme sides of society, but it doesn't come without consequence. </p><p>Meanwhile, Ran Mao is involved in a case concerning two very valuable swords about which only she has full knowledge. However, she has another side to her that she must keep hidden as well. </p><p>Lau x Ran Mao</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji. I just own this story.
> 
> A/N: This mainly focuses on a possibility for Lau and Ran Mao's past in China, from childhood up, and Lau's rise in both Kunlun and QingBang. While I did as much research as I could (props to you, Google), I'm no expert on Chinese history or culture, so if anything is blatantly wrong, please let me know so I can fix it! Some minor details may be different, but that's more than less creative licensing.
> 
> Keeping this in mind, enjoy reading!

**April 1886**

**London, England, United Kingdom**

His musty room was probably the warmest place in the entire godforsaken state of England, Lau mused. He held an intricate opium pipe in his right hand, which he lifted to his mouth to breathe in the sweet chemical pleasure. It was his favorite one, with an ivory stem and jade pipe-bowl. On the table, located in the center of the room, was the special designated oil lamp to vaporize the drug, ordained with cloisonné **.** He sat next to the table in his blue love seat, alongside with one of his regular clients. She, like always, was adorned in bright red clothes, which caused everyone to turn an eye whenever she was out in public.

"Oh my, you're quite a sight," Lau had first said to her, weeks ago when she initially came wandering into his den. The woman had been a mess, he remembered, and later he learned that she had been through a lot of trauma to cause it. He couldn't fault her for that. "Red's a bold color."

"Do you not like it?" she had asked in a rather odd tone of voice.

Lau proceeded to shrug, smiling as he did so. This woman was going to be interesting. "Well, I suppose I've seen worse!"

For some odd reason, this caused the lady to laugh out loud, and she stayed to try his product. She introduced herself as Angelina or Ann, but explained that many simply called her Madam Red. Lau had asked why she had given herself a fake name, and she simply responded that it was just as real to her as any other. He didn't question this. In fact, it made sense.

So now the woman was in his room, not for the first time, and they were discussing many strange occurrences. Lau enjoyed her company because not only was she smart, but she was always involved in gossip. Not simple ladies' gossip, but large scale knowledge: country affairs, medicines, crimes, noble family happenings, and the like. Lau needed the updates, so their friendship, if one could call it that, worked out perfectly. There was an emotional benefit in it for the woman, yet she knew it wasn't serious. Lau wasn't serious with anyone except maybe Ran Mao, and that was different. Ran Mao didn't care what he did with Ann, for instance.

"You know how my nephew is alive after we all thought he was gone for the longest time?" Madam Red inquired. She had a pipe that he let her borrow in her grip, but she hadn't lit it yet. It was funny, being that as a doctor, she'd administered the drug countless times, but personally had never tried it until she had first came to Lau. Her tolerance was not nearly a built up as Lau's, who could smoke much longer before becoming totally inebriated. "Ciel still won't open up about anything that has happened. I won't push it. He's only ten years old, after all. He's lost his parents. You know that's hard. But I do wish he'd say something! What really bothers me is how he lives alone in that giant place, with only his servants for company. The child's never been particularly healthy, so I'd feel better knowing he was with me. That way I could help him if needed."

"Children are surprisingly adaptable," Lau countered.

"But it's the fact that he's taken up his family position as the Queen's Watchdog that worries me. He's good at it, but sometimes I worry it might be too much too soon."

Lau nodded. Of course he had heard of the Queen's Watchdog, and not just from Ann. He probably should have already met with the child, but had put it off. The Watchdog was a strange position, yet he found it rather intriguing. The idea of Queen Victoria allowing a child to partake in such a dangerous position was even stranger. The Queen herself was a manipulative sort, and while Lau couldn't say he respected her for having power alone (she just had to be born for that), he respected how she used it. That lady had the entire world wrapped around her finger. Whether or not he agreed with her choices was different. "He'd have to take on that job eventually. Besides, Ann, you're always at his place, it seems. It's already as if he practically lives with you."

The woman wasn't meant to be the Watchdog, but she had the habit of acting as if she were. Again, he couldn't fault her for that. It was almost admirable. She tried so hard.

Madam Red didn't say anything for a moment. She finally held her pipe over the fire and inhaled the opiate. That was good. She needed to relax. Then suddenly she smiled. An idea struck the woman in red. "I think, if he's going to accept that power, you should meet him! The position lives off connections, and I think there could be some potential mutual benefit. He practically rules the underworld, and I know you have your own connections with that."

Lau raised an eyebrow, though his expression still showed interest. He didn't appear opposed, simply curious. "From a ten-year-old?"

"You'd be surprised," Madam Red said. "Ciel's inherited all of his father's old network. I've seen them get together before, and that child knows how to run a meeting. Not to mention that he also has this overly competent butler who helps him every step of the way. The child's started a business, too. Have you heard of Funtom? It's a confectionery."

Lau chuckled. "Confectionery, eh? I think I might have seen the name. What can I say, I do like candy! I suppose I would rather like to meet this Earl Phantomhive-and not just for that! I'm curious to know what a ten-year-old like him would be like."

"That's good, because he's already asked about you," Ann said. Lau smirked; this child was really something else. "He's a good kid, mind you," Red continued. She then put the pipe down, turning her mostly-functioning attention on Lau. She positioned her hands around him. "I'll set something up soon."

Lau smirked. It always came to this. The poor lady was desperate for comfort, and generally he had no problem giving it to her. After all, it was his job to dole out dreams and comfort to those who had none. Opium was a drug, but sex could be considered one too. Both messed with the functioning of the brain, at least.

However, he mused, perhaps out of everything, money would be the world's biggest drug. His life, for instance, was built up by various things: fire, trade, a cat, two swords, and a vicious rivalry. Behind everything, however, money was the moving force in his existence; the catalyst to a life of loss and gain.

Money was what made the world go around, he mused, and because of this, maybe Ann's nephew wasn't so different than everybody else; he just had to face reality a bit sooner than most.

Lau's train of thought was broken as the madam leaned in for a kiss, giving herself to whatever was in store for the night.

* * *

**January 1858**

**Canton, Guangdong, China**

China was supposedly the greatest country in the world. It was the Middle Kingdom, the land of the descendants of the dragon, and a place of prosperity and riches. Nothing was supposed to  _go_ wrong, because nothing was supposed to  _be_ wrong.

Lau was seven years old when his home went up into flames, along with the rest of town that he knew.

Most of it would be remembered as a blurry mess, but certain parts stood out. The nightmare started when Lau was shaken awake by his frantic father, who proceeded to drag him up from his blankets and shove his little sister's hand into his own. She latched onto Lau, big black eyes darting between him and the rest of the family. " _Bà ba_ , what's happening?" she looked to her father for answers, but he didn't get to say anything before they all heard the commotion from outside.

Across the room, Lau's mother screamed "Run!" with such a shriek that it rang in his head for years to come. The boy had started to argue that they should all go together, but he barely had a chance before his father was pushing him outside the door.

"We'll meet up with you soon, Lau," his father quickly assured. Lau peered over his father's shoulder, at his mother who was walking slowly towards them, but with some difficulty. Her feet were "bound", as Lau had heard said before. He wasn't entirely sure why, but until now he hadn't thought much about it. He just then realized that escape wouldn't be as easy for her. "You're faster than us so you have to go now! Take care of your sister. I trust you."

The boy wanted to ask how his would possibly be able to catch up with them, where they would meet up, and why on earth they were even running? But that was not going to happen.

As soon as the pair stepped foot outside, Lau looked down the street and could see swarms of men in a riot. Weapons ranged from swords to torches to firecrackers to guns. Buildings down the street were already up in flames, and the fire was spreading quickly.

"What's happening?" his sister asked him, as Lau began to lead her in the opposite direction more inland.

"I don't know." He squeezed his sister's hand. "It'll be okay. Follow me!"

The two pushed their way through crowds of people also running. Various men yielded swords, aiming them at those other foreign men Lau had only seen a few times from afar. It was those men, dressed in strange, form fitting outfits, that shamefully had the undeniably more advanced weapons. Whatever they were, those weapons were loud and good at killing people from a distance. The streets were quickly becoming bloody and with a lurch in his stomach, Lau wished he hadn't seen anything. He turned his sister away from the destruction, tugging her arm and leading her down a back alleyway.

He couldn't be like them. He couldn't let his sister be like them. They had to get out before one of those foreigners with the guns saw them.

It was almost funny, in a dry sort of way, when that passing thought would creep into his mind, because that was exactly what happened. Maybe they hadn't been aiming for the girl specifically, but somebody misfired and it hit her squarely. The siblings hadn't gotten too far when there had been that fateful bang that changed Lau's life forever. His sister's arm suddenly became a dead weight, and while his surroundings blurred out and disappeared from his mind forever, the lifeless form of his little sister, laying as a heap on the hard stone road, engraved into his mind forever. He would never be able to forget that blackish color as the blood mixed with the light pink fabrics on the back of her qipao.

It must have only been three seconds, but he felt as if he stood staring for an hour. The boy was only brought back to his surroundings in a start, however, as a stranger pulled him away and yelled, "Run, kid! There's no time for that!"

Lau would never know who that person was, or if they made it out of Southeast Canton alive, but the shove they gave him saved his life. That animal instinct took control of his body and adrenaline pumped through his veins. The boy's legs worked without his mind. His thoughts were limited to the concept of escapement. Time wasn't a concern. Down one street, around another. He avoided every obstacle he could and dodged around other citizens trying to evacuate the area. Thinking too much on what just happened would be enough to stop him, so he couldn't do that. Yet the image of his sister and thoughts of his parents crept in the back of his mind almost constantly, and it threatened to stop his pace quite a few times.

He wasn't sure how long his sprint lasted, but it must have been awhile. Lau had never been to that part of town, which must have been more north or west than usual, so nothing was recognizable. Yet there was no blood or fire, so it was in the most ideal spot he could be. This area of town was eerily peaceful. It was strangely surreal, and the past events felt like a foggy nightmare. With his guard down, Lau's adrenaline resided and not only did he suddenly feel exhausted, but the situation began to process in his mind all at once.

The boy hunched over and threw up.

His knees gave out and he collapsed on the ground, eyes stinging, because knew he had failed.  _He_ might have made it out of that commotion alive but his sister hadn't been so lucky. It had been that foreigner's fault. No, it was his own fault. No, it was…

Lau wasn't sure. He wanted to pretend it hadn't happened in the first place. He wished he had somebody to turn to, like his parents.

_His parents_.

Where they alive? Had they escaped? That part of town had been eaten up by a fire, and deep down Lau knew the answer.

The scene of his sister collapsing relayed in his memory.

There was nowhere to go and nobody to go to, and with a scare Lau realized that he was completely alone. He crawled over to the side of a building, where some boxes were stacked up, and he burrowed under them, feeling like an animal as he did so. He brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them tightly, figuring there was nothing he could do but wait for somebody to find him. So he sat and cried.

It was still dark, and Lau curled up beside one of the buildings, resigning himself to the outdoors. In the distance, he could hear dogs howling.

The great and mighty China had fallen, and apparently this wasn't the first time.

Stupid foreigners.

Stupid China.

It was in this unknown part of town, away from all the fighting, that Lau spent the next few weeks. From conversations he overheard, trying to find home was pointless. Some said hundreds had died. Others said thousands. He heard that there was nothing left in the southeast side of town but ashes. Lau couldn't tell what was an exaggeration or not, but the point was the same: he didn't have a home anymore. Besides, he was sure that by some miracle, if his parents were alive, they'd kill him to figure out that his sister was dead. Although that was just a pleasant fantasy. The fighting had stopped, but the foreigners had won.

Lau spent his time in alleyways, stealing food from the local shops and bolting away if the owner spotted him. It wasn't particularly hard. He'd just have to wait for them to momentarily step outside or be busy talking to a customer. He'd time it carefully, and while a part of him wanted to feel bad, it was hard to do so. Stealthiness was key in being an orphan, it seemed.

No, stealth was just key to survival in general.

If lucky, the boy would take charity. Lau definitely appreciated the kindness. However, despite his stealing and receiving, he never felt completely full. He was always slightly hungry, thirsty, or cold. Once, for heat, Lau managed to even steal a blanket from a shop. However, it was only that night that torrential rains poured down, ruining his blanket. Even when it dried, it was crusted with dirt.

Sleep wasn't easy. Not only was it physically uncomfortable, but he would become too scared. Too sad. Too disgusted. At night, his thoughts were plagued by images of the burning city. His sister's nonliving expression haunted him. He'd lay there, in lonely street alleys that stray cats even avoided, crying to himself until exhaustion took over.

The time molded together, and these weeks would later seem mix with the actual battle, becoming part of the strange, blurry nightmare.

Lau camped by one of the larger market plazas of northern Canton. Sometimes the foreigners would come by, and he feared them, but they never did any harm right then. It was a strange sight, initially, to see them acting civil. Overall, he realized everything in the market place was rather different from his old home. Booths were set up everywhere, selling anything from food to clothing to decor. It was a jumble of all colors, scents, and lights, blending together to look like a constant celebration. Everything was always bustling, and nobody seemed particularly upset.

The boy overheard many transactions, and began to pick up on the main idea of economics (even if, at the time, he wasn't sure what an "economy" was nor did he actually buy much). Those selling wanted to gain money, while those buying wanted to save money. Sometimes the one running the booth and the one buying from the booth would argue over a price, trying to negotiate for a happy medium.

The world was run by aspects of profit, it seemed.

Conversations by passersby proved that profit was a global moving force. Lau heard that Canton was attacked over something called opium, and that the foreigners wanted to sell it to the Chinese so they could get money to buy other products since they had nothing good to trade. Apparently they had a different kind of currency, anyway. China had banned opium years ago, however, so this mysterious product had to be sneaked in. While most of this went over Lau's head, but he understood that in the end, it all had to do with getting money.

Lau wished he had money.

A merchant sporting a long braid down his back ran a booth of paraphernalia, and one day he dropped some of his coins. They rolled temptingly away from the man, across the stone pathway, stopping right in front of Lau. The boy scooped it up in his palm, quickly counting it and realizing that the spare change could buy him food for an entire day if spent wisely.

"Hey kid, was that mine?" the merchant called out, in a northern accent. Lau realized that he must have known Mandarin as well as the Cantonese they spoke. Lau felt his heart skip a beat.

"Uh, yeah, here!" Lau quickly said, acting as if it was his plan to give the money back in the first place. He turned around and held the coins out to the man in his dirty, outstretched palm.

The merchant shook his head. "Never mind. Keep the coins, kid."

After that day, if Lau walked by, the merchant always went out of his way to give Lau whatever leftover food he had. It wasn't much, but it was more than Lau would get otherwise. So he came often, and eventually the merchant struck up conversation with him.

"Do you live around here, boy?" the man asked, peering down from his seat. He was holding an opaque jar of some type of beverage, and took a swig from it.

"I guess," Lau answered.

"Where are your parents?"

Lau hesitated. He felt his throat start to close up, but he stopped it from getting too bad. "I don't know." Technically, he didn't.

The man studied him for a long moment. "Are you from the southeast?"

Lau just nodded. The man was quiet, and began to fiddle through various bags he had stored behind his makeshift booth. He handed Lau a canister of water. Lau took it without question, guzzling the entire bottle down. He almost felt guilty, but the fact that he was no longer thirsty for that moment made up for it.

"Thanks, _Xiānshēng_ ," Lau remembered to say, handing it back to the man.

The merchant took it, packing it back up again. "Call me Hsiao."

"I'm Lau." It was the only name the boy gave, and the merchant didn't push for another.

Lau began talking to the merchant almost daily, and while Hsiao wasn't the most sociable man, he didn't seem to mind the company. Hsiao had many intriguing items for sale, ranging from intricate porcelain jars to silk rugs to statues. The merchant explained he'd buy them in other places, store them in his cart, and sell it in a new city. While his items were interesting, Lau realized that he still didn't seem to have much money.

The two formed some sort of bond. The man gave Lau food, and Lau provided companionship. Lau wished he had something else to offer, especially during the rainy days when Hsiao let him stay inside the cart until it passed, but the boy had nothing to give. Hsiao never seemed to care, though. He was generally doing his own work anyway and Lau being there didn't affect it either way.

"Besides," he said offhandedly one day, clutching one of his drinks. "Having a kid here only helps sales."

Lau decided to take advantage of that. He didn't like being indebted, after all. He pushed a stool out in front of the booth and started waving at those who walked by, asking them to take a look at the products. Hsiao was at first rather confused and told him that it was unnecessary, but once sales did increase slightly, Hsiao stopped objecting.

"You said people came because I'm a kid, so I figured that by sitting out there and forcing them to see me, they could never not buy your stuff," Lau explained.

The corner's of Hsiao's mouth twitched ever so slightly.. He admittedly did seem pleased. "Well, I'm not going to stop you."

Lau would sit in front of the booth some days, from its practical opening to closing, shouting, "Would you like to buy-" and he'd insert the name of a random item from the shop. If they didn't buy something, it would at least grab their attention. Hsiao would take over from there, switching from his usual reserved attitude to one of charismatic sociability. It was an odd sight, but it taught Lau that to get what you want, sometimes you'd have to put on a show for it.

A group of men once walked by, and Lau overheard part of their conversation. It was nothing interesting-something about a birthday or the like-but what stood out was that it was in Mandarin. Lau recognized it immediately, and decided that he, like Hsiao, would take a different approach to attract them.

" _Duìbùqǐ, nǐ xiǎng gòumǎi de dōngxī_?" Lau called out in the northern dialect. Not only did the men seem impressed, but Hsiao looked up from his work, appearing rather surprised as well. Of course, they flocked to the booth at the sight of the eager child and ended up buying a trinket from Hong Kong. It was doubtful that they had actually wanted it, but like Hsiao had said, it was harder to turn down an eager child, especially one that spoke your language.

"You're bilingual?" Hsiao asked, speaking in Mandarin now. It came easier to him, though his Cantonese was rather impeccable as well. "At your age?"

Lau nodded. "My dad spoke Mandarin at home. He was from Peking." Hsiao practically beamed-Lau had never seen him look so happy apart from his sales speeches. "I'm not as good at it, though, so that's why I never spoke it until now."

"You're still a smart one. That's good. Languages are important in this business."

It wasn't too long afterwards that the man gave Lau a place to sleep at night in the inn he rented nearby. "I can't just leave you out in the streets, can I?"

Lau realized, walking into the tiny living quarters, that Hsiao was only a step up from being homeless himself. It was very cramped, even though it didn't have much more than a mat for sleeping in the middle and a wooden desk. There didn't seem to be any plans for food at night, and with a small pang of guilt, Lau realized that he had been leeching off of a man who could barely provide for himself.

Still, he wouldn't turn it down. Hsiao, for whatever reason, seemed intent of helping the boy. Lau still had nightmares all the time, and since the darkness of night never failed to bring up flashbacks to his home burning or his sister falling to the ground, Lau had to admit it was better to wake up under a roof than under some boxes for shelter.

Hsiao never knew about his nightmares, and Lau had no intention on telling him.

This is when Lau decided that he should give something in return-more than just his advertising at the booth. He would go out to the different booths and continue what he had done from before he was taken in: he would steal. It wasn't hard, Lau realized, and so long as nobody caught him, there seemed to be nothing wrong about it. Stealing was more refined than begging, after all, and the duo would need some free food.

When Lau did manage to come back some scrapings, Hsiao didn't seem to concerned: not for the reason Lau's parents would have been, at least.

"Look at this!" Lau had said, as Hsiao entered the inn one day after a "business meeting" (this had confused Lau, who did understand why Hsiao would need meetings when he worked alone). Lau had the food strewn across the floor, as if for display. "We can have it for dinner." He sat rather smugly, proud of his accomplishment.

Lau saw a few emotions flash across the merchant's face-surprise, impress, and a little embarrassment, even-but then it switched back to its usual, apathetic expression. "They didn't catch you, did they?"

Lau shook his head. "I'm not stupid, Hsiao  _Xiānshēng_. I wouldn't do it while they were watching! They key is to not look suspicious."

The corners of Hsiao's mouth tightened, and it almost appeared to be a smile. "You're a sneaky one, too, hmm?"

_I'm just a hungry one_. Lau almost said it, but he didn't want to seem ungrateful for the rest Hsiao had provided. So he just shrugged and started to eat his gatherings. Hsiao stood back a moment, but it didn't take too long for him to give in and take a snack for himself.

The world was run by profits and confidence, but it didn't have to be fair.

Hsiao  _would_ sometimes give Lau money to go buy food, however, especially during the day when both were out at the booth in the light of day. "Make sure you haggle for the best price possible," he would say. "I want change back." So Lau would go, and give his best innocent-child expression, manipulating people into feeling bad for him and giving him a discount.

Hsiao would disappear ever so often, claiming to be on "business". Like the "meetings", Lau wasn't sure what this business would be, since Hsiao already had his stand. However, once the man would return hours later, usually in the night, he would always have some extra spending money and items for his booth. This money was usually blown in a day, however, on whatever Hsiao deemed worthy, and the pair was back to borderline poverty. At first Lau had no idea where the cash could have gone, besides maybe for items in Hsiao's cart, but soon it began to make sense.

Once, for instance, Lau watched Hsiao make himself a cup of tea. It appeared no different than normal tea, at least until he reached for a bag some crushed bits of  _something_ in it.

"What's that?" Lau asked. Hsiao took a swig of it, even though visible steam still rose from the top. It must have burnt.

"Tea with seahorse. It prompts...longevity," Hsiao grumbled. Lau wasn't sure if that was true but he didn't outwardly question it. Hsiao was a walking contradiction, however, because while he took his traditional tonics every day, he didn't seem to care much for any other sort of traditions.

It was about a month since Lau become his companion, when the markets became especially lively with all kinds of people, from the elderly to young children. Not a single person appeared to be in a bad mood as they went around booth to booth, stocking up on food, decorations, fireworks and clothing.

"Everybody's so lively," Lau commented.

"That's because it's almost the New Year," Hsiao responded.

"Right, I knew that." He hadn't, but he felt as if the answer had been obvious. He should have been happy by the prospects of New Years, but he wasn't. It could never be like the celebrations in the past.

Sure enough, the next night of Saturday, February 13th, Hsiao and Lau walked down one of the many crowded streets, full of people making last minute preparations. Almost all the buildings had Chunlian, Fu, or lanterns hanging outside, wishing good luck and prosperity. Midnight came and fireworks burst in the sky, each different colors that reflected off the streets. People cheered and danced. Over the next few days they were there, Lau saw almost constant celebration by the local folk. The small of food was always in the air.

Hsiao didn't do much himself. To customers, he acted uncharacteristically jovial, but once they left he behaved no differently than before. The two had no special food or decorations. "Won't it be bad luck not to do anything?" he asked, thinking of Hsiao's concoctions. Apparently that opaque jar Hsiao carried with him was "snake wine", and to Lau's horror, there was an actual snake marinating in the thing. It was supposed to help one's breathing or something of the like.

Hsiao shrugged, however. "The market is crowded and people have been buying more than usual. I'd call that good luck." He took a swig of his tonic and they carried on with their usual plans.

As New Years tradition, people visited to local temples to pray. One was supposed to remember their ancestors, and while Lau had never thought of his parents as "ancestors", he wondered if they could now be classified as such. It didn't seem like a topic to bring up with Hsiao, however, so he asked nothing. Hsiao never mentioned anything to Lau about family or ancestors.

It was not too long after the celebrations that the marketplace died down back to its usual speed. Hsiao announced that in a couple of days, he would be leaving north for Zhangzhou. The man was a traveling merchant, after all, and his time in Canton was up.

'I want to keep helping you!" Lau exclaimed. He realized that at his age, he may not have been very helpful, but he was desperate to keep a home. He refused to be another homeless orphan again. "Please? I'm good at what I do, and I can learn more!"

" I suppose I could use some help," Hsiao replied. "You'll have to learn a lot, though, We're only heading farther north after Zhangzhou, but since you already know the dialect up there, that shouldn't be an issue, at least."

"Yes, I'll be fine!" Lau assured, though he told himself he'd have to work to pick up on more Mandarin quickly. He didn't care if Zhangzhou was in a different  _country,_ so long as it wasn't wherever those foreign people came from. He had no reason to stay where he was now, and Hsiao had helped him more than anybody.

So Lau became the merchant's apprentice, and his dream of avoiding the foreigners was soon to be impossible.


	2. Chapter 2

**March 1858**

**China**

Hsiao owned a large, covered cart. It could almost be considered a carriage by definition, and in it he stored an odd array of marketable items. They ranged from toys to paintings, souvenirs, decorations, and pieces of furniture. It gave just enough room for Lau to hunker in the back, while Hsiao could sit at the front bench to direct the oxen. The man had gotten the two big brutes just before leaving Canton, and Lau was almost positive that purchase had made them completely broke.

"We've got plenty of money," Hsiao had scoffed, when Lau decided to conveniently question whether or not he should try to start stealing more food for their dinners. It was the morning of their journey to Zhangzhou and the team was loading the cart in preparation. "Do you know how much that vase you're holding is worth?"

Lau glanced down at the object before handing it to Hsiao. "Y _ou_ were the one who spotted it yesterday in a pile of trash and told me to dig it out!" It was undeniably a pretty flower-themed vase, apart from some dirt smudges and minimal scrapes. Lau wasn't sure if that made it valuable, though. Besides, they had no money from it yet.

Hsiao snorted. "Correction. We bought it from a famous ceramic expert in Hong Kong. It's worth at least a few days' meals." The man didn't put much care into tossing the thing into the back of the cart. It bounced against a some items and fell to the floor of the cart with a thud.

"I've never even been to Hong Kong, Hsiao  _Xiānshēng_  ."

"I have, and when we're trying to sell that vase, you'll say you've been, too. Give them one of those sales speeches that you're so good at screaming across the marketplace."

The two finished packing and said goodbye to Canton, possibly forever. Lau wasn't sure if he would miss it or not. He may have been a native to the city, but his actual home was nothing more than a ghost to him. Perhaps there wasn't anything left to miss.

On the inside of the cart, there was a map of China pinned to the wall. The trip was a long one, and many days where they seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, Lau would sit and study the paper, memorizing the different landmarks, both natural and man-made. If Hsiao mentioned a town, Lau would immediately hunt it down on the map. His knowledge of cities previously hadn't extended past Canton, but it didn't take him long to learn the major ones. In fact, it came quite naturally.

Hsiao would continue to go off on his own some nights, coming back with some extra spending cash that would be gone within the next few days.

The merchant managed to get more products through passing smaller villages and taking what people didn't want. One couple the pair ran into, for instance, was moving to another home. With their desperation to get rid of unnecessary items, Hsiao obtained a lot for next to nothing in exchange. This had put the man in good spirits, and between sipping one of his concoctions and loading the cart with his new goods, he was whistling with delight, which was strange to Lau's ears.

One of the items the couple had passed down was a world map, and Lau immediately rolled it out on the table and asked where England was located. Hsiao stopped whistling and briefly pointed it out. Lau was surprised.

"The island? It's so small," Lau said, running his finger over its location on the paper.

"Yes, and it's not just them here," Hsiao explained, and he took swig of one of his many drinks. The man motioned towards some other countries. "France. United States. They're all here too. The world's becoming more intertwined." Lau frowned.

"But England was the one that destroyed Canton," Lau muttered sourly. "And China's so much bigger."

Hsiao scoffed. He pulled the map from under Lau's hands and rolled it back up. "China's bigger, but Heaven doesn't care so much about that."

Lau wasn't sure which he hated more at the moment: Heaven, England, or China.

"Wait!" Lau said. "Let's keep the map!"

Hsiao glanced over, eyebrow raised. He had probably planned a sales pitch for the thing the moment he obtained it. "Why?"

Lau hesitated. "Because...I want to remember where those countries are."

The merchant stared at Lau a moment, appearing somewhat confused. He shook his head but tossed Lau the rolled up map, anyway. "Whatever, boy. I can't deny that you should know them."

Smiling, Lau thanked Hsiao and immediately started searching through the various boxes for something that could pin it on the wall beside the Chinese map.

Like always, there wasn't much food, and sometimes the duo had to ration it. Unlike as a homeless boy, however, Lau could at least wake up knowing he was guaranteed  _something_  for that day. The issue was, while Lau wasn't exactly scolded for stealing, there was never much to steal on the road, anyway. Instead, with long hours of endless dirt road, Lau's mind would be able to travel anywhere, including the recent traumatic series of events. He tried not to show his fear in front of the merchant, but the boy still spent his nights (whether they were spent at an inn or in the cart itself) tossing and turning. Sometimes he just cried. Other times he'd wake up in a sweat from another nightmare. Lau hated it, but couldn't get it to stop. If Hsiao ever noticed something was off, Lau would insist that it was from his hunger. A lack of food could sometimes come in handy, after all.

The duo worked their way from the south to the north. Zhangzhou, Nanping, Shaoguan, Shangrao. With so much travel, the boy learned to never become overly attached to any specific place. Of course, he probably wouldn't be able to get to comfortable anyway, because there was always an aching fear that any city could be the next to get burnt down, but the fact that they had to leave so soon only solidified his emotional distance from each. The end goal was to become the best merchant's apprentice he could, and that was that.

Eventually the merchant stopped conducting those odd business transactions in the middle of the night. Lau asked why, but Hsiao never gave much of a clear answer. Only something about new laws. They no longer had as much spending money, being that most of what was bought from the booth went directly into food or places to stay. Lau became increasingly jealous at the rich civilians he'd see in fine robes and the ability to buy whatever they wanted whenever they desired.

It wasn't too long after the total lack of money when Hsiao even stopped drinking those strange concoctions. With the way he cherished them, Lau knew that was a bad sign. Lau wondered if they cost a lot to constantly buy, and he wondered if not buying them would make much of a difference. Either way, without these as a distraction, Hsiao moved his total attention to molding Lau into the perfect helper.

For instance, the merchant had the audacity to tell Lau that he needed to learn English. Of course, there were no professional textbooks or teachers (even if there were, Hsiao couldn't afford it), but the man would question him on phrases such as " _Hello_ " and " _How are you?_ ". This didn't seem like much, but these phrases were undeniably essential for communication. Lau resented it, however, and saw no need to communicate in English anyway.

"Why do I even have to learn this? There aren't even white people here! Besides, I hate England," Lau complained. It just seemed inherently wrong to learn the language of those that had ruined his life. He didn't want to be like them in any way.

"If you want to be helpful with sales in the future, knowing multiple languages will be important," Hsiao said.

"I already know more than one," Lau muttered, thinking of the time he spoke Mandarin and shocked Hsiao.

The merchant sighed. "Fine, I'll rephrase myself. Where we are going, English is what you have to know to get by in sales. This city might not have many speakers, but other coastal cities will. You have to get over yourself." There was never any sweet glossiness in what the man said, only the truth. Lau sometimes wished Hsiao would word things nicer. "It's not like learning another language is betraying the others, Lau." The boy sighed. It wasn't exactly patriotism towards his own native language that was stopping him from learning English, but he didn't bother to say this.

"I barely know what English is supposed to sound like," Lau pointed out, frowning.

"Then the next time you see some Englishmen or Americans, listen in on what they say," Hsiao suggested, "Listening is one of the best ways to learn."

Unlike everything else about the conversation, this suggestion wasn't completely foreign to Lau. He'd already spent a lot of his time eavesdropping on others, especially before he'd met Hsiao. It was a good survival mechanism. Apparently, now he just had to be pickier which conversations he'd choose to overhear.

English made no sense grammatically. Chinese dialects were right to the point. It was easy to know what a person meant because they simply said it. English was different, with all its extra unnecessary words and conjugations. Why did it need all that mess? It was as pompous as their culture itself! The pronunciation and enunciation was all off; it came out sounding and feeling wrong. Hsiao was not fluent by any means, but he was good enough to correct Lau whenever he messed up on something simple.

"But why do you even want to sell things to Englishmen?" Lau had asked once in exasperation. "They're greedy, and selfish, and-"

"No different than us. Besides, sometimes we buy things from them too. So shut up and keep practicing."

Over the next months, Lau reluctantly spent much his time trying English speech, be it with Hsiao personally or Englishmen he'd meet in trade cities (some were willing to have a conversation with him if he initiated it, and while he hated it, he hated Hsiao's lectures more). A part of him still despised them, but after learning that none seemed to particularly want to attack like they had that one infamous night, he slowly eased out of his distrust. Besides, he'd complain, but he didn't want to completely disobey Hsiao. He didn't want to be kicked out of the apprenticeship and be left on the streets again. His nightmares would flair up, but his only choice was to ignore it.

The boy still couldn't  _read_ English however (he barely knew many Chinese characters, as it was). The Roman-based alphabet made even less sense to him than the verbal aspect of it. Hsiao admitted that while he could speak it, he wasn't entirely sure how to read it, either. Lau was perfectly content with the lack of knowledge in English as an excuse to stop studying altogether, but Hsiao insisted it only gave him more time to practice his marketing skills (as well as borderline thievery, though this was never explicitly said).

* * *

In September, the two entered a large city named Tianjing. It was midday, without a cloud in the sky and the sun was being unbearably hot to Hsiao. He made a point to grumble about it. Lau was in back of the cart, avoiding the complaints and playing with some of the toys Hsiao had recently obtained instead. Hsiao cleared his throat and called back to Lau, "We're going to meet up with somebody. He lives in Shanghai, but he's here for business and has an inn rented out. We'll be staying there the next few days. And hopefully this damned heat wave will stop before we leave, too..."

"Who is he? And what business?" Lau asked, ignoring the temperature comment. He rather liked the warmth. Lau put down the toys and crawled towards the front bench to sit alongside Hsiao and take a look at the city. It bordered the Yangtze River, which was very pretty by itself. However, countless trade boats were lined all along the coastline. Foreigners appeared to be everywhere. Lau groaned. He knew he'd be forced to practice extra English here.

"His name is Zhao Keung," Hsiao explained. He coughed a couple of times before continuing. "I've known him awhile. Our paths have been completely different, yet we still keep in touch occasionally. He's a manager for the trading company called Kunlun, and he was sent here to deal with some unrest. I have to ask him about something, and you'd better make sure that you're polite."

They continued past the most clustered parts of town and into the opposite outskirts, where the population became smaller but the buildings became larger. Eventually Hsiao stopped the cart in front of a traditionally styled inn in architecture, but it much larger than any Lau had ever set eyes on. It seemed to be more of a resort. After fixing up the oxen and cart for the stay, the two walked into the large patio area with their few important personal belongings, which solely consisted of a couple of clothing items. In the center of the patio was a decorative pond, surrounded by a garden containing a multitude of colorful plants and figurines. The outdoor walls and pillars themselves were very intricate, and unlike the past inns Lau and Hsiao had stayed out, the paint wasn't even fading or chipping off! There were many doors, but Hsiao kept going to the largest straight ahead, where presumably the front office was. Lau noticed a head peak out from one of the top windows, but when he tried to focus in on it better, it quickly disappeared.

Glancing around the lobby, Lau noticed there were some European men standing to the side area, with their short hair and strange, boring black and brown suits. White men had never been at an inn that he and Hsiao had stayed at before. It made him uncomfortable. Adding to his queasiness, it was the first time since meeting Hsiao that Lau had stayed with somebody else. Lau's train of self-pitying thought was interrupted, however, as Hsiao's gruff voice spoke up, telling the receptionist who he was and asking which room Zhao was specifically staying. The man explained that it was on the top floor, to the left. It was the one of the poking head figure, Lau realized.

They went back into the scorching outdoors, with Hsiao cursing the weather one more time, up the staircase and to the door at the very end. Hsiao gave a knock, and the two waited for a response. "Remember" Hsiao reminded Lau. "I want you to be on your best behavior."

It wasn't a man who opened the door, but a child who appeared to be about Lau's age. He was just a few inches taller, sporting casual blue robes. He had a round face with a large birthmark on his cheek. It was somewhat distracting and Lau had to focus on not staring at it. The boy smiled somewhat politely at the guests. " _Ni hao, Hsiao Xiānshēng_."

"Hey, Shen, it's good to see you!" Hsiao responded, ruffling up the boy's shaggy hair, and Lau noted that it was weird to see the merchant acting so friendly to somebody who was not a client. It wasn't that he was  _jovial_ , per say, but it was still nice enough. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"My dad wanted me to come," Shen shrugged. He slide the door open wider, beckoning for both to come in. "He wanted me to see a different city for a learning experience." He said "learning experience" with the slightest bit of resentment. Lau cracked a smile. He bet Shen hated English, too.

"You're not enjoying it?"

Shen hesitated. "Well, not exactly." He looked at Lau. "And you-"

Shen turned to Lau to say hello but was cut off from a booming voice across the room. "Hsiao Quon!" Lau jumped at the loud greeting of the merchant's full name, startled, and then looked to see a man walking over to the group. The man was tall and confident, in a way that could almost be intimidating, but really it was his expensive cheongsam that was the most daunting.

The two men greeted and Hsiao introduced Lau to this Zhao. "This is Lau. He's been a good help," Hsiao said. It wasn't even much, but the comment boosted Lau's confidence. It was encouraging to hear, despite everything, and it was probably the biggest compliment he'd received from Hsiao thus far. "He's barely eight, but he knows a lot."

Shen spoke again, "You're eight? I'm ten."

"Why don't you show Lau around, Shen? Tell him where to put his things?" Zhao suggested. Shen nodded and lead Lau into one of the bedrooms. Lau could only feel a twinge of jealousy when it ended up being as big as most of the entire complexes he'd previously stayed at with Hsiao. There were two European-style beds on either side against the wall, and both were a mess.

"Take whichever bed you want. I don't care. I hate this place," the boy explained. Lau nodded in faux sympathy, wondering how on earth Shen could hate a place as nice as there. However, Lau didn't have much of a bed preference. They were identical and better than any other sleeping arrangement he'd had in his entire life- so he just dropped his singular bag on the right bed.

"Well, maybe not..." Shen started, but Lau had already sat on it and was staring at Shen with a casual smile, not concerned if Shen wasn't happy with his choice. It was the better bed by the window, and he had claimed it, fair and square. He found that he got the slightest joy out of making this rich kid uncomfortable. He threw his bag next to the bed and stared.

"That's all you have?" Shen asked, changing the subject to Lau's luggage, sounding both appalled and amazed.

Lau nodded, trying to keep a pleasant disposition. "That's all I need." He hated it, but if he had to be poor, he didn't want to come off as sour about it, too.

The right bed was next to a large window. Lau peered outside and noticed it was the window he'd seen the head poking out of when they had first arrived. "So, that was you watching us from upstairs?"

"You saw?" Shen looked disappointed.

Lau nodded, and smiled slightly. He was poor, but he was observant. "Of course I did!"

Shen sighed, seeming rather put off. "I really need to work on my shinobi skills then…"

Lau had no idea what a "shinobi" was, but he said, "Yeah, I've got great shinobi skills!" He just couldn't allow himself to sound dumber than Shen.

"You do?" Shen suddenly became very interested. His entire face lit up. Whatever a "shinobi" was, the boy sure cared about it a lot. "So you've been to Japan, then?"

Lau turned it around. "Have  _you_  been?"

Shen paused. "No of course, barely anybody has been. They're kind of reclusive. I've just heard about it."

Lau nodded. "Same for me! I've heard lots about the-" He stopped himself. What were those things called again? "….what are we talking about?"

Shen gave him an odd look, but he was happy to explain. "Do you not know what a shinobi is? They're Japanese spies! They can get inside anywhere to get information or steal anything! They also murder their enemies without ever being caught! I've heard they're so amazing!" He paused. "Actually, I don't think they exist anymore, but if they do, I'd want to be one. It'd be better than what my dad has in mind for me. Since you saw me, you should be one, too."

"Didn't you just say that they're Japanese though?"

"So? It's not my fault I've head cool Japanese stories," Shen said. "Here's another Japanese legend! There are stories of these creatures called bakenekos. They're cat spirits that can transform into a human! They trick people into thinking they're normal, but then they can kill without any second thoughts. They're monsters, really."

To Lau, being a shinobi was a dumb dream and bakenekos sounded like a ridiculous fairy tale, but either was a better topic than his social standing. He felt himself start to relax in the presence of this stranger. Besides, Shen had already moved on from all of those subjects, anyway. "So, how long have you been helping Hsiao  _Xiānshēng_?"

"Since a little before the New Year."

"Why'd you start?"

And the conversation fell back into the pits.

Lau hesitated. "Well, I...I wanted a job."

"Why would you  _want_ to work?" Shen asked, completely confused by this concept.

"It's not that. It's…" Lau wasn't sure what to say. How could he ever explain being homeless to somebody like Shen? "I don't know; never mind."

Shen had no trouble not minding Lau's explanation. He went to the door. "This is boring. Let's play something!"

Hsiao was to busy schmoozing Zhao, so he didn't expect Lau to work that day. This gave the two boys time to spend the rest of the sunny hours playing "Shinobi", which was basically their own glorified form of "hide-n-seek". They ran outside onto the street, hiding anywhere that they could manage. Street poles, booths, stores (though many owners kicked them out), and even within the crowds of people. They spent hours with this pastime, and by the end of the day, they were both exhausted and sweaty, so they decided to retire back at the inn.

"Okay, I must admit, you are the better shinobi," Shen said. "You're just so sneaky. How do you do it?"Lau smirked. If shinobis were supposed to be good at stealing and stealth, then he was by default, the best. Still, it was nice to get that reassurance from a rich boy, even if Shen had no idea what actual stealth was.

"You want food?" Shen asked, looking at one of the street venders on their way home.

"That needs money, though."

Shen raised an eyebrow. "I have money." Lau hesitated; he had no money. Shen sighed. "I'll get us both something." He pulled out a pile of coins from his pocket, and stopping at one of the booths, ordered the two of them the most expensive rice balls on the menu. He handed over the necessary money with plenty extra, telling the owner to keep it. Lau outwardly only showed gratitude, but he found that he couldn't enjoy the food at all. For some odd reason, he mused as the two walked back, his bargain food tasted better.

"Hey," Shen said, breaking the momentary silence. He looked at Lau inquisitively. "Do you have a family?"

Lau wasn't sure why this question took him by such surprise, and suddenly he was faced with a series of flashbacks again. He pushed them aside, shaking his head as he did so. "No, I guess not."

"Oh," Shen said, sounding more confused than pitiful. "I'm sorry."

Lau shrugged. "It's not your fault."

"Yeah, but...wait, I have an idea," Shen smiled slightly and held out his hand. Lau stared, and Shen waved it. "You shake it, I think. I've seen white people do it. It's a sign of acceptance or something. So if you shake it, you can be my honorary brother."

Lau had no idea why this kid would ever consider someone like him a friend, and he didn't particularly like the hand shake's origin. However, he thought of Hsiao's warning to get along with these two as best as he could, so he forced himself to shake the boy's hand and nod. "Okay, sure!"

When they arrived back to their room, Zhao ended up providing a feast, or at least more food than Lau had seen in awhile. He wasn't sure if the sight of so much food made him more or less hungry. Either way, under Hsiao's watch, he ate a decent amount, even though he felt somewhat queasy afterwards. Not too much later, Shen declared that he was ready to go to sleep, and being that they were sharing the bedroom, Lau went with him. They changed into their night robes, and crawled into the beds.

Shen seemed to fall asleep right away, unconcerned about the world, but Lau had trouble. Everything was too odd, and too many thoughts buzzed around in his head. Past the door, he could hear the faint mumble of Hsiao and Zhao's voices. He wondered what they were talking about. Figuring rest was pointless, Lau decided he might as well listen. Hsiao had given him the strange advice of eavesdropping as a learning method, anyway. Maybe he could brag about it to Shen as shinobi practice. Therefore, slowly as to not make it creak, Lau pulled himself out of the bed and shuffled his way towards the door, reaching forward and only stopping when his fingertips grazed the handle.

The topic was one of the most interesting things on earth.

"Lau's a nice kid. I'm still surprised you actually took him in, though. Heaven knows you hate any sort of commitment," Zhao was speaking, Lau realized as his stomach dropped, about  _him_.

"Generally not, but I don't regret this," Hsiao answered, and Lau felt a wave of relief. "I'm not entirely sure what all happened to him before we met, but even I couldn't just leave him out there to die. Besides, he's surprisingly smart. I'm not getting younger, and I think he'll make great help one day. "

"That's nice, then," Zhao said. "Shen was sure excited to have another kid his age around. It takes away from the business aspect of the trip" They were both silent for a moment, and Lau almost decided to forget it and go back to bed. However, Zhao continued to speak just in time for the boy to stop himself. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see you. It's been awhile. But we both know that's not you sole purpose for dropping by." There was another short pause, and Zhao added, "Just tell me."

"I've got a favor to ask. With the economy constantly getting worse and I can barely take care of myself, let alone Lau." He spoke quietly and Lau could barely make out the words. He had to press his ear against the door to hear properly.

"How on earth have you been surviving all this time?"

"I've sold enough until now," Hsiao answered, almost defensively. "People have just become less willing to buy accessories."

"So, let me guess, you want a job back at Kunlun?" Zhao asked. Hsiao must have nodded, because Lau heard Zhao laugh. "It's really come to the point where Hsiao Quon settles down?"

"Just until the economy improves."

"Which may be never in our lifetimes," Zhao pointed out. "We're not having it easy, either, you know. Besides, that damned QingBang keeps stealing our profits and lately it's put us in somewhat of a rut...but I remember you worked hard before and could probably only be a help, if you actually tried. I can get you something."

Hsiao paused. "Thank you, Keung."

"Shen and I will be going back soon, and I can immediately hire you under my division. I can't promise you anything too good, though…"

"Doesn't matter to me. It would just be good to have something stable."

Lau felt scared. If Hsiao was getting a new job, wouldn't that mean he'd no longer need him as an assistant? Lau couldn't stand around hidden any longer. Hsiao might have said that he couldn't leave him to die before, but maybe he was ready to leave him to die after all! Lau wanted to end the conversation, so he slid the door open and both men turned around to look at the boy, silent. He wanted so badly to ask about Kunlun, and what it meant for him, but he couldn't bring himself to it. Instead, Lau simply smiled and said, "Is there any water?"

Zhao nodded and stood up, being the good host he should have been. "Of course we do! I'll get you some! After all, you can't sleep when your mouth is dry."

Lau got his cup of water and took a few sips for show before slinking back to the bedroom. His mind was reeling. He was even more wide awake than before, and he spent most of the night tossing and turning, wondering what his future held.

* * *

"Lau! Come out here!"

Shen and Lau were in the bedroom, with the first rambling about how he couldn't wait to get home and have some of his mom's food. Lau tried to pay attention, but his eyelids kept drooping and he felt about ready to fall asleep. He hadn't slept at all the night before, after all. He was brought back to attention, however, by Hsiao's gruff voice, and both boys scrambled out to the living room.

"He's got something for you," Hsiao said, motioning towards Zhao, who held a book in his hand.

"So you're learning English?" Zhao asked.

So first Lau was going to get kicked out, and next he'd still be expected to learn English as a homeless boy. He wanted to scream.

He kept his composure, however. "Yes."

Zhao smiled and held out the book. "I got you this! I figured it would be helpful."

Lau took it carefully, half convinced the book would bite him. His eyes skimmed the cover, but he couldn't understand it. It was written in those horrible Roman-based letters. He realized it was some sort of textbook, and a good way to learn English vocabulary, so if anything the title was just that: English. Inside, there was a piece of folded paper. Lau opened it and discovered that Zhao had written his own key to help Lau learn the pronunciation of different letters, comparatively to some common Chinese radicals. It was almost ridiculous, being that Zhao was a practical stranger, and Lau thought it was crazy how much time money also gave somebody. Still, it was more help than he'd received before and undeniably useful, so Lau smiled. " _Xièxiè, Zhao Xiānshēng_!"

Shen moaned, as if the present was for him. "You got him a textbook? That's no fun."

 _You can say that again_! Lau thought. Maybe Shen wasn't  _so_  bad.

"Life is more than just fun and games," Zhao said. The tone was pleasant enough, but Lau sensed a pang of annoyance that proved the man had told Shen the same thing multiple times before. "Sometimes you have to learn subjects that you don't like."

Shen didn't seem convinced, but he nodded anyway.

"Now, Lau, you know the drill," Hsiao spoke up from Zhao's side.

Lau nodded. "Yes. I'll help you get the cart ready."

"Exactly. Good boy." Hsiao then lead Lau outside in the fields behind the inn, where the two oxen were tied up. "You untie that one," he instructed. Once that was done and the cart was ready to go, they began their journey down the sloping, open road and carefully into the narrower, packed streets of the central city.

"Hsiao  _Xiānshēng_?" Lau asked. Hsiao coughed and glanced at the boy in acknowledgement. "Are we going to Shanghai next?"

"You already know the answer to that, don't you?" Hsiao said, clearing his throat. Lau gaped. "I heard your footsteps by the door, kid. Anyway, we're going to Shanghai after this. I'm getting a job there for Kunlun," Hsiao said. "It's going to be permanent this time. I'm not going to be traveling anymore, at least not like this."

"So you worked there before?"

Hsiao paused. "Yeah, a long time ago."

Lau sighed. He wasn't getting any more answers about that past right then. "So...you won't need me anymore?"

Hsiao glanced over at the boy, raising an eyebrow. "What? To think I'd just leave you, after all this work. Boy, you're supposed to be smarter than that! I'm not just going to throw you out in the streets!" Hsiao smirked. "You think Zhao would have given you that book if I was going to kick you out so soon?"

"I guess not," Lau said, and then smiled slightly. "I would have thrown it out, anyway...no, I would have probably sold it!"

Even Hsiao cracked half a grin at that. "Good boy."

The two would spend the next week in Tianjiang, selling the last goods Hsiao could manage. Once that was settled, they began their journey to the great city of Shanghai, where the opportunities were endless.

* * *

**October 1858**

**Shanghai, Jiangsu, China**

Lau had seen many kinds of cities, but Shanghai was the first he allowed himself to truly get to know. To Lau's primary dismay, it was colder than the southern towns but the ever-growing bustling street life made up for it. Shanghai as the great destination it was, happened to be fairly new, but apart from the European architecture, one would have thought it was much older. Looking at the variety of people present, Lau had to finally accept that he would never get away from Western influence, whether he liked it or not. Besides, it wasn't all completely bad. This globalization had given Hsiao his job, though it was nothing more than a hauler on the docks. These same docks were always packed with sailors, some actively boarding the ship, others unloading their own products. New companies were constantly opening in hopes of finding fortune. The economy in China as a whole did not seem particularly bright, but if one looked around Shanghai, it would be hard to know it.

Hsiao was still far from wealthy, but he managed to keep a little house, compacted tightly on a street about a ten minute walk from the Huangpu River. The area smelled of sweat and fish, and it could sometimes be a struggle to go outside without being knocked down by the tightly compacted hoards of people. That particular area was full of wealth-seeking individuals, who were the farthest from wealth out of anybody in the entire city.

The living conditions might have been minimal, but the proximity to the Kunlun headquarters was ideal. The headquarter office was adjacent to the Huangpu, which connected to the Yangtze. It was a tall, ominous building, constructed the classic European style: brick walls, flat roofs, wood window shutters, and Roman Doric columns.

The Zhao family, on the contrary, lived farther away from the city life and its cramped dwellings. Their house was much bigger and while architecturally traditional in style, it was recently built. The yard was gigantic, and it provided plenty of room for a beautiful garden outside. Lau decided from the moment that he laid his eyes on the place, that he would never allow Shen to see his own house.

The first time he saw their house, in fact, he was greeted by Shen's mother, who was tending to a flower garden. She had smiled at called out a greeting to the boy and merchant, and initially Lau wondered why she didn't get up, and then noticed her feet. They were tiny, wrapped in lotus-shape shoes. He'd remembered that his mother's feet had been like that too, and that's why she hadn't made it through the fire.

While they had nothing in common, Shen seemed to like Lau perfectly fine. Lau initially found more humor in the friendship, with Shen's sometimes ridiculously ignorant remarks, but eventually even he considered the boy a good friend.

Lau was still an apprentice, though not a traveling one, and he wasn't sure what exactly he was training to be instead. He'd lost the majority of his chances for marketing, so instead he would help Hsiao with more domestic causes such as buying food or cleaning the house. The boy was still learning his English. Hsiao said that Kunlun required English daily, as his job was to keep track of what had been boarded on and off of certain ships, including those from the British branch.

It wasn't too long after the slightly new stability that Hsiao went back to preparing his tonics. In fact, not too far from Hsiao's house, in the opposite direction from the Huangpu and the hustle and bustle of the trade ports, there was a little old lady named Yong  _Tàitài_. Now that Hsiao had some money to call his own, he would often go visit her with any leftover spending cash. Sometimes Lau would tag along and unlike those past "meetings", Hsiao never tried to stop him (so Lau figured those meetings must have still been something different). Still, Yong's house itself was very strange to the boy, and at the time Lau never fully understood why Hsiao insisted on going so often to replenish his ingredients.

The first day Lau had gone to the lady's house, he remembered being tired. While most nights he was fine, there would be the occasionally few filled with nightmares of the past, causing him to wake up in a sweat and feel sick and paranoid until the sun came up. Sadly his first Yong experience had to be after one of those nights. However, thankfully Hsiao was so intent on getting to the lady's house that he didn't even realize Lau was having trouble keeping up with his pace.

Her living quarters were a little bigger than Hsiao's, though he location was not much better. The inside of her house was a mess, with items strewn about everywhere. In fact, it had a sort of grungy, musty smell to it. When Lau first saw Yong  _Tàitài_ , her long, greying hair was pulled into a tight bun. Lay wondered how it didn't pull her scalp off. She gave a yellow toothy grin as the pair entered her living quarters, causing her entire face to wrinkle up like a pug. H

"I heard you prepare all sorts of tonics," Hsiao said. Yong nodded, and beckoned the man to follow her with a bony finger.

"That's all in my back room. Follow me, and I can prepare whatever it is that you need for a reasonable price," she agreed. Her eyes darted to Lau, who was seated silently on the couch. "You're so skinny; I could make you something to beef you up! Follow along, son."

Lau stood up and started to trail behind the two adults to the medicinal room. "I'm not his son-"

" _Chen Pi_!" the woman cried out, stopping Lau from explaining his relation to the merchant. "That's what I'll prescribe you, boy, to be mixed with my special blend." She took his hands in hers and gave him a long stare in the eye. "Yes, that's it. I've figured you out, son. You have rebellious  _qi_ to the stomach, causing poor appetite and false fullness in your belly!" She patted him on the stomach once, seeming quite pleased with her diagnosis. Lau back up and glanced at Hsiao to see if he thought she was a strange as he did, but the man seemed to be taking her completely serious.

"So that's why you haven't been eating," Hsiao muttered, studying the boy like a project as well.

 _No, I haven't been eating because we barely have any food and you knew that thirty seconds ago!_  Lau wanted to scream, but he didn't. It wasn't that he believed regular medicine was wrong, but something about this lady was. Eating  _chen pi_  in itself was perfectly normal, for instance, but he wasn't entirely sure that he trusted Yong's "special blend".

Yong slid the door to one of her back rooms open. It consisted of various cabinets, each lined with various bottles of different herbs. In the center of the room was a table, which she would presumably sit at to create whatever concoctions she deemed worthy of healing her clients.

"I need something for a cough," Hsiao said. "I used to prepare myself medicinals daily, but had to stop for a while. It was during those months that I developed a lasting build up in my lungs. At first I thought nothing of it, but it's been worse and worse lately."

"I see," Yong said. She swiftly moved towards the shelf and pulled down a glass of something black. "First, we'll need some rehmannia root…" The woman blabbered on about different herbs, some of thing legitimate and others Lau were sure were made up. She grabbed various bottles and once she had them balanced in her arms, seated herself at the table and started to mix ingredients together with incantations and dramatics that a normal apothecarian would not normally perform.

Lau tuned out her ramblings and began to explore the room himself , running his fingers over each different bottle. There were various powders, roots, leaves, and flowers, each placed strategically in a specific order, no doubt. Some shelves were cabinets, however, and glancing back to make sure Yong and Hsiao's attentions were not on him, he quietly opened the door and peeked inside.

Something white and hard was shoved into the one compartment, and Lau's eyes widened as he realized what it was.  _A bone_. He closed the cabinet immediately and wondered why she would have that there. It could have been from any animal, he realized, and wondered why his first instinct had been to panic. It was rather large, though, and would have had to come from something bigger than a bird or cat.

Curiously, he moved on to the next closed cabinet. Inside some of those jars were dried, pink specimens, and realizing that those also had belonged inside of something living made Lau even feel more uncomfortable than the bone. He closed the organ cabinet and looked around the corner of the room, where a little offshoot was located. He stepped down the hall and jumped as something on the shelf next to him moved.

He glanced over and saw various cages. Inside one, there were at least five live scorpions. They climbed on top of each other, spider-like legs supporting their movement. In the cage next to them was a live snake curled in a ball. On top of his cage was a jar packed with centipedes.

It was a rather disturbing offshoot, but Lau realized each could be used individually in tonics. He had seen Hsiao drink wine with a snake marinating inside it before, anyway. These individually didn't mean anything. Therefore, the strangest cage the one hidden behind a curtain, containing one of each of these poisonous creatures. Why the old lady would have thought to combine a snake, a scorpion, and a centipede together in one container was beyond Lau, considering it didn't seem very beneficial for any of them.

He quickly stepped back out of the offshoot, where Hsiao was giving the lady some coins in exchange for a bag of various vials. The man didn't seem to notice that Lau had been so distracted, but Yong gave him an odd look. As soon as Hsiao finalized the purchase, he was out, dying to drink the concoctions. Lau stayed behind a moment, giving one last look at the cabinets.

"You sure you don't want anything for your skinny self?" Yong asked one last time.

Lau quickly shook his head. "No, I'm fine!"

Yong shrugged. "Okay, but I'm telling you, my products work, son, if you believe in them."

Lau wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he simply said goodbye and rushed outside to catch up with the ex-merchant, who was so consumed with what was in his new purchase that he hadn't even noticed Lau's lag time.

"We're going to be going there weekly," Hsiao announced on their walk back to their house. "That's how long the supply lasts."

Lau sighed. It was strange how a man who had conned people for so many years could be conned so easily himself. He was not going to be looking forward to that each weekend.

Growing up in Shanghai would be quite the experience.


	3. Chapter 3

**1860-1868**

**Shanghai, Jiangsu, China**

The English had won the war, and Lau heard that changes were happening in many places. Nothing particularly affected him, especially as a boy, but living in a port city forced him to hear others complain and gossip about it almost constantly. Official documents were being written in English, land such as the district of Kowloon was succeeded to the Englishmen, new trade ports were constantly opened, and special men and women would come and promote foreign religions.

Much of the world was still confusing, but Lau was learning quickly, though perhaps in unorthodox ways. In a lesson of stealth, he had once convinced Shen to sneak onto the docks with him in an attempt to see inside one of the boats, claiming it was the best "shinobi" practice there could be. The two ended up getting spotted, but Lau managed to grab one of the Western items- a mechanical object that played sound when wound up-and hid it in his dirty cheongsam before bolting off with his friend right behind him. The sailors yelled after them angrily, and Shen was convinced that they were going to be executed, but Lau rolled his eyes at such a worry. He knew that was a ridiculous punishment and that they hadn't been clearly seen or pursued in the first place.

"Do you want it?" Lau had offered with a grin, caressing the metal contraption like a baby in his arms. It was the one valuable thing he finally owned, methods of obtaining it put aside, but he realized that Shen was not nearly as excited about their little stunt and decided to give him the thing in return for going along with it.

"I don't want that! It's not even ours!" Shen responded, shaking his head. "Just keep the thing. I already have a music box, anyway…"

Shen spent the next few days nagging Lau over the box, and while Lau could understand the worry in general, he didn't understand the moral opposition to such a thing and still thought there were much bigger concerns in life than a little box. He didn't want to bring it up with Shen anymore, however, and he kept it hidden away in Hsiao's apartment pretending to be sorry.

Ignorant of the boys' adventure in theft, Zhao had continued to take a great liking to Lau as a witty, intelligent boy. He even offered Lau a professional tutor for English, and while Lau had tried to get out of it in various ways, he eventually had to accept.

"I'm sure this will benefit us all!" Zhao explained his persistence, feeling confident that he was right in every way. "You're a clever boy, and I'm sure you'll get far in the company one day."

The company, of course, was Kunlun. While Lau didn't have the extreme pressures to join the trading force like Shen, he was expected to eventually be employed there by default. Seeing no other options for himself, the boy never fought the Kunlun future. Selling was the only real job experience he'd had, and school for anything else wasn't an option.

Therefore on Wednesdays, Lau would trek up the hill to get to Shen's massive house. He'd invite himself in and be ushered to the Zhao's personal office, where he'd meet up with his chosen instructor, Teh  _lǎoshī_. The lessons were only about an hour in length, but to Lau they were gruesome and felt like an eternity.

Sometimes he'd catch Shen peering through the office door curiously, and he eventually questioned him about it.

"Don't you have lessons, too?" Lau asked.

"I had lessons but I stopped," Shen said. "They were boring."

"That's true!" Lau laughed, but secretly thought it was strange that Shen had been more adamant than he was to not be taught. "Wasn't your dad angry, though?"

"Obviously, but that's no different than normal," Shen shrugged, and again Lau realized how odd that was considering he'd personally never heard the man raise his voice once.

Like the music box, Lau stopped bringing up his tutoring sessions in conversation seeing how opposed Shen seemed to be towards them, or really anything relating to Kunlun. Shen grumbled about it enough without the tutor as a prompt, anyway. To avoid the excessive complaints, as soon as each lesson finished, Lau didn't take time to stick around and chit chat. He would thank Teh  _lǎoshī_  and Zhao  _Xiānshēng_  speedily and exit the property as soon as socially acceptable.

Besides, Lau had no interest in staying on the rich side of town. He, like many of the people from what he called "his side of the city", found the extravagance of the wealthy to be almost sickening. Many people pretended that Shanghai was only a new booming, glamorous metropolis. One could be sure that the poorer end was something those sailors never wrote home about, if they even knew about it. The division of the classes for a permanent resident, however, was apparent, and many of the boys Lau's age resented the fact that he had become so comfortable with traveling to the land of the luxurious so often. One stocky boy named Tung was especially vocal in his distaste.

"Why are you always going over there?" Tung had called out once. He was with a group of boys who stood behind him, eyeing Lau as well. "You don't belong there! None of us do!" There was a little bickering, and while Lau didn't exactly show outright anger, he realized some of his retorts had an underlying harshness to them. Tung was not going to put up with that.

To be fair, Tung had struck first, though Lau managed to quickly dodge it and probably could have run away before a fight broke out. However, Lau hadn't held back as he knocked Tung right in the head, giving a large blow to the side of his face and sending the boy staggering back a few steps. Tung held his cheek a moment, eyes narrowing as they changed from shock to anger. His posse backed up, stunned and concerned, but Tung didn't leave the situation. He lunged back at Lau, aiming a punch at his nose.

Lau skidded away from his fist and gripped Tung's arm while it was extended. With both his hands occupied, however, Tung took the opportunity to land a blow in Lau's stomach, which sent him on the ground. His tailbone hit directly with the ground first, sending a wave of pain up his spine, but nothing had broken. So when Tung began to kick the boy while he was down, Lau grabbed his leg and pulled him on the ground too. He landed directly on top of him, but Lau braced himself and took the opportunity to keep throwing punches.

Tung swung a punch at Lau's eye, and it must have hurt, but Lau didn't notice at the moment. Tung tried to stand up, but Lau refused to let him have the upper hand like that. With all his might, he shoved Tung away and while crouching, grabbed him in headlock with one arm and used the other to twist Tung's closest limb into a rather unnatural position.

"Stop it! Let go of me!" Tung yelled, struggling against Lau's grip.

Lau grinned, and the awed faces of Tung's followers on him only boosted his confidence. "So this means I win, right?"

"No!" Tung screamed, and again he tried to free himself, but it didn't work. Lau continue to bend his arm farther back. "Okay, fine! Let go, let go!"

Lau released his grip, still on alert, but Tung didn't try anything. He stood up slowly, eyes scanning Lau with horror, and then a look of embarrassment swept across his face as he saw his few friends staring at Lau with awe. Tung sighed and cradled his arm.

"You're really good at fighting!" one of Tung's friends exclaimed.

"All the more reason you don't belong with those snobs on that side of town," Tung muttered sourly. "You're no better than us."

"But I don't fight over there!" Lau smirked at his ability to switch personas so easily. He stood up and a wave of nausea hit him as hard as the punches had. His pride vanished momentarily, and he staggered back. He felt cold, most likely from the perspiration, and it sent a shiver down his spine. The adrenaline still pumped through his veins, though his legs shook slightly now. The boys, oblivious, excitedly discussed the fighting with each other and Tung yelled at them to shut up. Somehow, Lau realized with a twist in his stomach, the excitement had resurfaced those horrid images of fire and gunshots that constantly haunted him.

Tung noticed Lau's discomfort first.

"What's your problem?" he asked. "Did I get you harder than you thought?"

Lau forced himself to snap back into the present, despite the increasing pain in his chest from the sudden anxiety. He knew that burning sensation too well, from countless sleepless nights. Still, outwardly Lau forced a smile and shook his head. "No way, I'm fine!"

He didn't stick around long, partially because he was convinced Tung would try to fight more, and partially because he was scared he'd throw up right there in front of everyone. As soon as he had left the boys' field of vision, Lau practically sprinted back to the cramped apartment he shared with Hsiao, taking a moment outside the door to regather his composure before he entered.

The boy didn't explain exactly what happened to Hsiao when the man questioned him about his forming black eye. He simply said that he'd gotten involved in a fight and more importantly, had won. Hsiao accepted this simple explanation, perhaps writing it off as a "boys will be boys" moment. Though, Lau knew he may have known the truth and just didn't want to make matters worse by explicitly saying it.

"Just don't get yourself killed, kid," Hsiao said, after doctoring the bruise as much as he could.

"Don't worry, I'd kill them first," Lau smiled. Hsiao raised an eyebrow but didn't bother to argue it. Instead he just took a sip of one of those concoctions he loved so dearly and continued with his own business.

The next day, Tung approached Lau grudgingly, suggesting they put the whole thing behind them. He never looked Lau in the eye as he said it, but his verbal apology was good enough.

"It's okay, I get it!" Lau waved it off, though he wasn't planning on truly forgetting the event. However, the two did end up forming a mutual respect towards each other afterwards, and could have even been considered friends.

Word of the fight got around and Lau soon became exalted as a triumphant warrior amongst all the local preteen boys (at least it felt like it). If any of them decided to go against him, he could easily take them down like he had done to Tung. He had become something of a legend, and was proud of it, though a part of him hated the fighting due to what it seemed to trigger afterwards. In fact, he avoided most extreme physical exertions in fear of what might happen in his head.

Now that nobody confronted him about going to Zhao's house on Wednesdays, he only questionable activity would have been what he had to do afterwards. He made sure to keep this a secret, though. Wednesdays were also shopping days, and it wasn't shopping for food, clothes, or any necessity in Lau's eyes. It had become the day Hsiao requested that he'd stop by and visit Yong  _Taitai_  to purchase whatever concoctions he desired, assuming he hadn't already gone himself. Lau would have to run back down that hill to the slums, coins collected from the previous week jiggling in his pocket, and deal with the old hag's shenanigans before she closed up shop. Luckily, it was never a long visit, because she knew exactly what he needed.

"I'd come but I have to be at work," Hsiao would remind Lau, and he'd cough a few times before continuing. "There's extra in there if you want anything else from her."

Lau never took Hsiao up on that offer. He usually kept the money and would use it to buy food when he was alone in the marketplace. However, spare change didn't curb his stealing habit by much, and if something looked exceptionally delectable but over budget, nothing was stopping him from snatching it so long as nobody was looking. He needed to save as much as he could, though he wasn't entirely sure why he needed to hoard it all. It just felt safer that way, perhaps.

Nights continued to be filled with nightmares of Canton and people that were no longer with him. Gunshots, screaming, fire crackling, a thud of a body falling to the ground. All these sounds echoed in his ears on unsuspecting nights. He'd wake up in a panic, with his palms sweaty and his heart pounding. He'd feel lightheaded, nauseous, and about ready to pass out, though he regrettably never did. Instead, he'd lay awake the rest of those long moonlit hours, trying to drown out Hsiao's snores while slowing down his own breathing to relax again.

* * *

Whether it be through boyhood solemnity or antics, the years passed quickly. Lau, who had gotten used to his double life of a poor orphan boy on one end of town and an honorary nobleman on the other, grew to be tall and lanky. Shen stopped a few inches shorter. While puberty brought out the best and worst in both, it was hard to not recognize Shen with his birthmark still conspicuous on his cheek or Lau's narrow face and continuing wit.

Once Shen turned sixteen, he was given that fateful job at Kunlun like his father, no interview required, and at a rather young age for his given position. Instead of complaining as he used to do, Shen took Lau's approach and simply never mentioned it. Now curious, Lau occasionally did bring the matter up, but Shen dismissed his concerns entirely. "I would take another job," Shen admitted to Lau once, "But I think my dad would disown me."

Lau wanted to say that was an exaggeration, but he wasn't so sure.

By the time Lau was fifteen, he decided he needed to work as well. Kunlun wasn't an option yet, though Zhao had promised him a job as soon as he was old enough for a proper position ("I'm not letting you just haul boxes around all day, after all!" Zhao had scoffed), so he settled for other jobs in the area. He spent some days at a restaurant called Qilin, and some helping out in the city's central marketplace, which came with minor nostalgia. The customer service industry could be tiring with terrible hours, yet it reminded him of his days on the road and it came naturally to him. He could sell any product with a dashing smile and an impromptu sales pitch, so being appreciated by his bosses wasn't too much of a problem.

The only problem, he realized during the lulls and moments he was finally left alone to his own thoughts, was just how exhausted he had actually become. Having two jobs at once was not easy, especially when almost every scrap of the money had to go towards paying for the rent, for food, for clothing, and for simply existing. Hsiao pitched in his share, too, but his own position at Kunlun wasn't overly lucrative. In fact, Shen's starting position was above Hsiao's, right away in the offices as a head of some interns.

"I still think you should quit one of the jobs. Who needs two?" Shen had suggested, and Lau had to put in an effort to not strangle his ignorant friend.

Lau was becoming more and more frustrated with Yong  _Taitai_  as well, being that so much of Hsiao's extra spending cash was being sucked into her faux apothecary. His cough never improved, and while professionals were much more expensive, Lau figured that if they saved up a few weeks while abstaining from Yong Taitai, then maybe they could afford it. Still, until Hsiao agreed, Lau had no choice but to get up each day and trudge back to work, to face the foods he couldn't eat, the customers he would never match, the excess of coins that he would never seem to have. It was aggravating and pointless, but he never wanted to argue with Hsiao. Being tired was better than being homeless, after all, and Hsiao was still his strange savior.

Working so constantly with such minimal sleep did begin to play a toll on Lau, and while he knew it was unhealthy, he tried to ignore it to the best of his abilities. Still, he couldn't control when the exhaust would decide to hit. It was the same pattern each time. It started with a pain in his lower, left jaw, and it worked its way into a full on headache. His muscles would tense, and for a moment he was sure the entire world was collapsing in on him. It must have been bouts of adrenaline after that kept him awake, but that hormone would always give him the same feeling as the fights had afterwards: that desperation he had experienced all those years in Canton. He'd step away from whatever work he had to do, and that's when he'd be hit with the wave of nausea and that horrible feeling of lightheadedness.

He hated Canton. He hated the British, and he hated the Chinese, and he hated heaven…

His head was flooded with all the thoughts that he'd thought he'd overcome by the time he was eleven that flooded back into his head, as if he'd reached some anachronistic state of mind. It would usually pass within ten to fifteen minutes, just leaving him more tired than before but in no condition to sleep, and he'd be forced to brush the whole instance off as if it had never happened and get right back to work.

"I have something for getting a better night's sleep," Yong  _Taitai_  had mentioned once, noticing the dark circles that had formed under Lau's eyes, which were a struggle to keep open at this point. "Most doctors just prescribe a regular herbal drink, but I have some other ingredients that are bound to work wonders."

"No, no, I'm perfectly alright Yong  _Taitai_ ," Lau responded. He wasn't at all, but he was sure that he was better than he would have been with her formulas. Besides, in the corner of her apothecarian room, he saw a cage of living rats, and didn't want to know what role they played in her medicines.

"You look like a zombie," Tung finally brought it up one evening that the both had free (it was becoming rare for any of the boys Lau knew to have free time, except for Shen).

"Really? And all this time I thought I looked like the emperor!" Lau said, with false amusement. He bet the emperor got enough sleep, considering he couldn't have been spending too much time actually working on the country's general well-being. "Anyway, you don't look much better."

Tung punched Lau in the arm playfully. It was an improvement from where they were seven years ago, at least. "I look like shit, sure, but I only feel partially like it. You're just shitty inside and out, but I know something that helps a lot, if you're interested."

Lau sighed. He knew exactly what Tung was referencing, and while he'd thought about it many times, he just hadn't had the nerve to do so yet. It wasn't a question of right or wrong, but more the fact that it was the substance that had catalyzed his entire life to be one of poverty.

It was almost as if Tung was reading his thoughts, because he added, "Hey, they named two wars after it. That right there proves it's gotta work pretty damn well."

* * *

Lau couldn't recall much from that night. The latter part especially was completely void from his memory bank, and not remembering was one of the best things to have happened to him lately, he realized. It had been the first night in a long time that he'd actually felt rested. There'd been no reoccurring images of fire, or boats, or the girl in the pink qipao. He could remember the beginning though, going into that den and tasting that sweetness on his lips. It had partially stung, but not enough to stop. The feeling that came shortly after, though, that was what made the night worth it. There had been a calm, euphoric sensation that filled his body, and for the first time that he could clearly remember, the daily stress of life had disappeared.

He could see why those like Tung liked it, while those like Shen would barely know about it.

Lau started putting aside more money for solely that activity. Some would call it a waste, and the rich would say it was the reason the poor would never change, but given the stress Lau was feeling most of the time, he figured it was worth the extra money to keep his sanity.

Or lose his sanity, perhaps. Either way, it helped him cope with life.

LLau had to keep it to limited use, being that he still had his two jobs and needed money. He'd find himself wishing he had access to it, though, several times per day, and whenever a craving hit it became almost impossible to focus on anything else.

Opium. Opium. Opium.

Whenever he was stressed, or scared, or uncomfortable in general, thoughts of the drug would seep into his mind. It was the ultimate solution to any problem, having the capabilities to make the world seem perfectly okay.

He almost thought of it constantly and Tung knew this. That guy had connections, anyway, and never minded in helping Lau get some-with a price, of course.

And Hsiao continued to get sick. Lau would find every typical food helpful for lungs- ginger, onion, garlic, celery, radish, pepper and more-but it didn't do much more than Yong  _Taitai_ 's mixes. It was almost his instinct to ask the Zhaos for help, because they could obviously afford some type of better care, but he didn't want to be in that position.

So he instead went to his jobs smiling, seemingly without a fret in the world, and mentally planning how he could finance his money for food, rent, and medicinals alike-being the type Hsiao used or Lau's new favorite drug.

* * *

**1869**

Zhao still viewed himself as Lau's true savior, however. In fact, it was the day after Lau's eighteenth birthday that Zhao proposed his new position at Kunlun Trading Company, as if that would be the answer to his every life problem. Zhao was happy to land him such an opportunity, being that he was "practically his son". Lau accepted it graciously, realizing it paid better than any of his other jobs. He still kept the restaurant one as a night shift, however, because in his starting position at Kunlun was still not too profitable.

Zhao told Lau to come the same time as Hsiao usually did, and then meet him at his office right away. After walking with Hsiao to the company's ground, Lau parted ways with the man and entered the office building. The exterior appeared the same as any other day- supported with its Roman arches and tall enough to cast a slightly ominous shadow over part of the trade ports. The interior was would have been equally nerve wracking, as it was bustling with busy and serious people of all types, but it didn't phase Lau. He'd been there before and saw much scarier people just on the street he lived. He didn't even have to ask the receptionist where Zhao's office was located. He knew exactly from Zhao rambling on about it. One the top third floor, at the end of the hallway, there was the largest door in the building, built with expensive, imported teak wood. Zhao's name was on the nameplate out front, printed in both Chinese characters and underneath, the equivalent Romanized version. Lau knocked.

"Ah, Lau, my boy!" Zhao exclaimed, as the teenager slowly opened the door to the man's office. The manager stood up, grin stretching across his entire face, and he practically floated over to where Lau was standing. He gestured Lau inside and the boy did so, taking in the aura of the room. Zhao's desk sat squarely in the center, overlooked by a large map of the world, taking up almost the entire back wall. Lau thought of his old little map pinned to the inner wall of Hsiao's cart. Compared to this one, it truly was pathetic.

Shelves were filled with expensive figurines and pictures of Zhao around the world. There were various filing cabinets that must have held an amount of paperwork that Lau would never have understood right then. A coffee table in the center of two couches was in front of the desk, presumably where he'd sit with clients for more relaxed discussions than those at the desk. Newspapers printed in multiple languages were strewn about on the table. There was a constant ticking from a clock in the background, and it echoed in Lau's ears.

"What a nice office!" Lau exclaimed. He needed to give a compliment, and it was about the only thing he could manage to say. Zhao was plenty satisfied.

"Much of this business, like any other, relies on the way we present ourselves The Western style is used to make our foreign clients feel right at home," Zhao explained. "Just yesterday, a man from the United States came here to inquire about…" Zhao launched into a story concerning porcelain cups and keeping inventory loss minimized despite the rough ocean waves. It wasn't particularly interesting, and having not slept well the night before, Lau found himself drifting off. He wanted to do nothing other than go back home and allow himself to bask in that wonderful, horrible world of chemically induced relief. His eyes fell onto a large window to his right side. It overlooked the docks and the entire Huangpu river, where various men shuffled about to get the boats loaded. Lau wondered if Hsiao was down there.

"Quite the solution, isn't it?" Zhao finished, looking at Lau for assurance.

Lau snapped out of his thoughts and gave a feigned enthusiastic nod. "It really is!" He glanced towards the window. "I like the view, Zhao  _Xiānshēng_. You can see everything!"

"That's the point!" Zhao agreed. He patted Lau paternally on the shoulder. "Lau, I expect great things from you, so when you're here I want you to pay close attention to your superiors and how they function. You just mentioned the view, for instance. Why do you think I want to be able to see everything?"

"You have to monitor everything going on," Lau suggested.

Zhao nodded. "That's right. To be a good leader, I have to make sure everything is running smoothly. I'm in charge of various operations at this branch, but being only one person, I can't do everything on my own. Therefore, you are my extensions. You're my extra pair of eyes and ears, representing this company. This means you're also my responsibility. If we both work hard, all runs smoothly and all parties are benefited..." Again, Zhao had launched into another speech and Lau's attention drifted. Everything was so redundant.

Zhao motioned towards the clock hanging from the wall. "That clock is a good example. You may think the bird that pops out hourly is the most important part, but if I took away one of the cogs, even the tiniest one, the entire thing would cease to function."

Bird? In a clock? Lau wondered if Zhao was on anything himself at the moment, because that didn't seem to make any sense, but he wasn't going to dare ask for clarification.

So Lau nodded. "I understand clearly, Zhao  _Xiānshēng_. I'm here to do my best."

"Oh, I don't doubt that!" Zhao smiled. "I just want you to realize that no matter what, you're an important player, and have as much potential as anybody else to rise to the top. Even more, I say! I'd go ahead and put you in as a department head, but sadly that's not allowed. But I don't think it will take you to long to rise up." He started to walk towards the door. "Now, let me introduce you to your immediate boss! Of course I'm always here for you, but for most things, you'll be reporting to a man named Leung Deshi."

The two walked back down to the bottom floor and a much smaller, cramped office. Papers were spread everywhere, and a man was seated, glancing over a packet of some sort. "What do you wa...oh, Zhao  _Xiānshēng_ , how may I help you?" Lau found his change in attitude practically humorous as he sat up straight and made total, interested eye contact. Seeing his face clearly now, Lau noticed what an intimidating man this Leung Deshi really was. He was muscular for a man who supposedly sat in an office all day, and he had a few bruises down his arm and a scar running down from his eye. Lau wondered how those all got there. He couldn't have been much older than Lau.

"This is Lau," Zhao introduced. "He's going to be your assistant from now on if you need it. If he ever runs out of work, he can always help at the docks. Train him well. The boy's got potential." Zhao gave Lau a motivational pat on the back before waking back to his own office, to not be seen again for quite awhile.

The man studied Lau a moment. "He really likes you, huh? I don't even think he was that enthusiastic about introducing his own son to us."

"To be fair, Leung  _Xiānshēng_ , I know his son and I don't think he was very excited about being introduced in the first place," Lau answered.

His new boss cracked a smile. "Just call me Deshi. And you must know his family then? What are you, his neighbor? Nephew?"

Lau shook his head. "Not at all. I guess you could say I'm a family friend, through a strange way."

Deshi shrugged. "Life's strange, but you got lucky with yours. Knowing somebody like that sure is useful." He paused. "What's he like at home, anyway?"

"Basically like how he just was acting at the door," Lau answered. Deshi laughed.

"He must  _really_  like you then!" Deshi said, and suddenly he smiled. Lau wondered what that meant. "Having you as my assistant is going to be great; he was right! Anyway, Zhao  _Xiānshēng_  told me that you know some English, right?" Lau nodded, wondering what else that man had said. "Okay, see that file over there? It's just paperwork from various British ships. Boring stuff, but it needs to be alphabetized. How about you start with that?"

So Lau's first few weeks were spent doing dirty work for Deshi, along with some of the other office members. If there was no blatant work for him to be doing, he'd go onto the docks to help with the others. He ended up succeeding in that easily, being able to switch languages without a thought and be clearly understood. It didn't go unnoticed by Zhao, who complimented his hard work almost daily.

Shen was sometimes seen, usually grumpily, walking around the office with papers in hand and greeting clientele. Whenever he saw Lau, the two would converse, but it never had anything to do with the business itself.

Lau rarely stayed late himself, having to get to his other job right away or eager for the chance to lock himself away from others and forget about the world. However, one night, having so much paperwork due the next day that he'd previously put off, he found himself stuck there long after everyone had seemingly gone home. He had been passing by the storage room, down an empty hall, when he caught sight of Deshi sneaking tea bags into the boxes destined to go to Canton the next day. They were supposed to hold porcelain only.

"Tea's so lightweight you could just strap it to your body," Lau had spoken up, walking towards Deshi without much shame in spying on him. Deshi jumped and glowered at his coworker. "Or do they make you strip? That would make the job more interesting! It gets hot down there, anyway."

"Why are you still here?" Deshi asked.

"I'm doing my job."

Deshi paused. "You work too hard. No wonder Zhao likes you."

Lau shrugged. "Oh, but it can't be helped! You know how that is!" Lau knew exactly what Deshi was doing, because there had been rumors about tea smuggling. By sneaking it to the ports, it would avoid taxes and then be taken to Britain to make a large private profit. Obviously Deshi needed money real badly too. "We all have double lives, after all."

Deshi hesitated. "How do you know Zhao, again?"

Lau smiled. "I told you, we're old family friends. That doesn't mean we agree on everything! But seriously, there's better ways to sneak that." Lau gave a few examples, some very reasonable and others undeniably ridiculous.

Deshi seemed to have mixed feelings on the matter, and for a moment he seemed to consider some of Lau's ideas, but he shook his head and dismissed the whole thing. "I'm just going back to my office for now..."

Neither spoke of their interaction again, and frankly Lau didn't think much more of it. There were bigger concerns, such as counting up his income at the end of the week and deciding how to budget it. No reason to worry about Deshi's life.

Besides, in the musky, hidden buildings of poorer Shanghai, there was a girl named Peijing who'd made her way into one of Lau's biggest personal matters. She was petite and curvy, with a pretty face and an agile body. She stood out amongst the other girls, being that she didn't appear to be entirely Chinese. In fact, her facial composition was an appealing exotic blend of both European and Asian decent, and it boosted her overall popularity with clients. Of course, outside of the whorehouse, she was an outcast-something that most people would pretend did not exist. Men from either race would sleep with her, but the call her a disgusting mistake the next day.

Lau and she got along well, in their personalities (though frankly speaking was limited), and through actions. She always knew what exactly to say, where to touch, how to play. She'd run her fingers down his long back whispering sweet nothings as the poppy smoke filled the room corner to corner.

Perhaps it wasn't the most honorable lifestyle, but it was the most rewarding. It simultaneously eased tensions yet peaked the senses, and Lau saw nothing wrong with it. Besides, it was on Lau's true side of town that this took place, the poor side, and out of his alter egos, he considered this one to be his primary self.

* * *

**March 1871**

Lau had already moved up on the business world. He had his own office, albeit a small one on the bottom floor, and even had his own little intern to boss around. The boy was an eager boy ready to please. Of course, it wasn't very hard to please Lau, whose disposition had become rather nonchalant so long as he got what he needed in the end: a solid paycheck.

It was a pleasant Spring day when Lau's life was due for another turn. It had started completely normal, with the intern was in Lau's office, working harder than necessary on paperwork Lau had given him. Lau almost laughed at the furrowing of the boy's brows as he strained to complete his work impeccably. It was a blessing in the sense that it meant less work for Lau, but sometimes he practically felt secondhand stress radiating off the kid.

"You don't have to try so hard, little one! You're going to hurt yourself!"

"Oh, right! I'm sorry, sir!" the intern promptly said, bowing his head in acknowledgment. Lau raised an eyebrow. He called him "little one" the first time a few weeks ago purely experimentally, to see if the boy would argue it being that he must have only been about four years younger than Lau himself. He hadn't given one complaint yet, though.

"No need to be so formal!" Lau said, smirking. "I've told you, I think it's pointless in the end. Your place in the world is defined by more than a few phrases like 'sir'."

"Oh, right! I'm sorry, sir...I mean, sorry!"

Lau observed the kid continue to sweat over his papers, this time even more than he originally had, before being interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Lau called.

The door swung open and Deshi strolled in, twinkle in his eye. He glanced at the intern, whose eyes darted quickly to the man and back to his work.

"Can we talk alone a moment?" Deshi asked Lau.

The intern paused, seemingly horrified at this change in routine, and looked at Lau, who nodded. "Yeah, sure! Little one, you get to go home early, it seems!"

Deshi blinked. "I didn't mean send him home, necessarily."

Lau shrugged and looked at boy. "Stay if you want, little one, but I'm totally fine if you want to go home. You've worked harder than I have in a year, after all! Don't worry, I'll make sure you're paid the same as if you stayed."

"Oh, okay. Thank you, sir! I mean, not sir...uh, thanks!" the intern bowed and quickly darted out of the room past Deshi, who as soon as he closed the door behind him laughed.

"I don't know how long he'll last like that," he said. "What's his name?"

Lau paused. "It's...does it really matter?"

Deshi made a strange sound in his throat, and Lau couldn't quite tell if it was a restrained laugh or scoff.

"He works too hard," Lau added. "Too hard for this job."

"You used to work yourself to death, too."

"True! But the difference is that he wants to be overworked."

Both laughed and Deshi took a seat by Lau's desk. He lowered his voice. "Despite how lazy you claim to be, Lau, you're very good at what you do," he said. This was true, Lau even had to admit. He was presently filling out paperwork: budgets, transportation times, wages. It was all the little details that most people dreaded, but Lau had a natural affinity for it. It didn't take much effort anyway.

"Well, thank you, Deshi!" Lau said. "I suppose it's just a natural talent! So did you come just to give compliments? I'm perfectly okay with this."

Deshi smiled. "I have a proposition."

"Hmm?"

"You need extra money, don't you?" Deshi said.

"Don't we all?"

Deshi smirked. "Listen to me a moment here, Lau. I have a way for you to pick up some extra cash. Then you wouldn't have to slave away with two jobs. You'd just have to pick up a little extra work here first. It would work out, though, because in the end, by quitting your other job, you'd have less work overall...would you be up for that?"

"I guess it really depends. What is it you'd like me to do, Deshi?"

"Oh, it's nothing big," Leung began. "I just want you to track some orders on a particular ship to Canton."

Maybe it was Deshi's tone of voice, or the fact that he was almost whispering, but the idea seemed to be rather suspicious. It could have been for the company, after all. Maybe he should give benefit of the doubt. "I'm sure I can do that. What exactly am I checking for?"

Leung sat down by Lau,. "You would just do what you already do normally. Tomorrow the ship called Truant is bound to leave around 10 in the morning."

"I know that, yes."

"Well, some of the crew members are carrying tea as well. You'd just have to job of overlooking the operation at the Yangtze docks. Make sure everything and everyone is accounted for. They know what they should be doing. Here-" Leung handed Lau a list of who was going to be on the ship, what their front was, and where they should be positioned. "If somebody isn't there, let me know."

Lau smirked. "Isn't Truant supposed to be in charge of transporting porcelain?"

"It has multiple purposes. No need to question it," Deshi smirked. "If it goes smoothly, you'll see some of the profit. I wouldn't ask this of you without benefits...so what do you say?"

Lau stretched back in his chair, wishing he had his pipe to help him think the offer over. It didn't sound particularly difficult, and extra money was hard to come by.

"Ah, why not? Easy enough!"

Deshi smiled. "I knew I could count on you! It's nice to know you'll be there to help because Canton can be dangerous for this sort of thing."

Lau almost laughed. "Canton? Dangerous for you?"

Deshi didn't notice Lau's sarcasm. "Sun Yee On his headquartered there and they're known for being particularly...hostile towards us. Of course that doesn't affect your job, but it's nice to know we've done everything we can beforehand."

"Interesting. Well, I'm in!" Lau exclaimed. His eyes quickly skimmed the papers his co-worker had just handed him. It was some odd prerequisites. "Oh, and it's Yungzu!"

Deshi tilted his head. "What?"

"The kid's name. The nervous one. I remember it now."

Deshi rolled his eyes and left.

Lau had no trouble relying the information to each of the people the next morning. In fact, he found it rather easy waling around the ports and checking on people. Sometimes he'd glance back up at the building, over at Zhao's large window overlooking the scene, but Lau found his own paranoia ridiculous. He had a hundred reasons to be out there, and all of them totally acceptable. Besides, it didn't take too much time and he was back in his office in less than an hour, as if nothing had happened.

A month passed, and Lau had almost forgotten about the entire thing before Deshi came back for a "private talk". After shooing away Yungzu, he grinned and tossed a bag onto Lau's desk. It clinked as it hit the table. Lau grabbed for it and pulled the top strings, revealing a nice amount of coins. Maybe it wasn't so much, but it was a lot for the little work he felt he did.

"So all went smoothly?" Lau said, and he took no time to tuck the profit away out of sight.

"It did, and I promised you some of the reward so there you go," Deshi nodded. "If there's anything else you can help with, I'll let you know…"

* * *

**1871**

**Nanping, Fujian, China**

There was once an elderly couple who owned a small house in a rural neighborhood of Nanping. The man enjoyed the outdoors, where he could tend to their garden and crops. The woman enjoyed painting, and many times she would sit outside alongside her working husband, transferring whatever she saw onto the canvas. They had been married for fifty years, without a trouble or regret, and truly loved each other.

The pair had a pet cat whom they had found on the street just a few years before. They named her Chuntao, meaning "spring peach", being that they found her underneath a peach tree that season. Peaches were the wife's favorite food, and tales always said that peach fruits brought longevity while peach wood would ward off any evil spirits. Fittingly, Chuntao was a blessing to them both, providing company and entertainment alike.

Chuntao became pregnant, and later gave birth to six kittens whom the couple came to love dearly. Like their mother, each had white and black fur, except for one. The sole female had a black coat which,under certain lighting, appeared to be almost blue. So they named her "Ran", after the color.

One day, a young man who went by the name of Chi arrived at their doorstep. He presented them with two swords as a symbol of their intimacy. Chi said that the swords were called the Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, and that they were the most powerful representation of true love. Only a pair who truly loved each other could ever wield the swords without consequence, after all.

The older man shook his head. "I have no need for a weapon."

Chi smiled encouragingly and handed him the items, anyway. "This is why you should have them the most."

The couple never saw Chi again, and when they asked if anybody had seen him, nobody knew to what they were referring. Therefore, they kept the swords in the house, displayed on their mantelpiece, deciding if anybody was to come looking for them, they would happily return it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Shanghai, Jiangsu, China**

**August 1871**

"I'm so sorry, sir, I promise I won't do it again! I need this job!"

"You should just be glad I'm not arresting you. To think, somebody of your rank, having the nerve to embezzle petty money…"

Not bothering to hide the amused smirk etched upon his face, Lau instead put his efforts into not openly laughing as Zhao confronted that little intern in front of half the staff. The boy was absolutely horrified and he had every right to be. He'd tried taking some of the company profits for himself (in order to feed his family or a similar sob; Lau hadn't really paid attention to that whining) and was blatantly caught. Zhao had decided not to turn the boy into the officials (even he, of all people, knew the system was corrupted), but he had made the boy pay every amount and more that had been take. The kid's name was sure to be put out there negatively, making any other good job difficult to snatch.

This incident brought no fear to Lau, even though he himself did the same thing every day. Lau was simply better at it- he'd never get exposed so easily. Perhaps that intern was booksmart, but that was the extent of his knowledge. Still, it was funny that somebody who appeared so damn innocent would do such a thing! Desperation could bring out the worst in anybody, Lau supposed, being that some faults were just inscripted into human nature.

"You deserve it," Lau said to the boy, before he left the offices for good. He didn't even bother to look at the boy, who seemed to be on the verge of tears. Pathetic. "I don't care that you stole, but don't be stupid enough to get caught. There's a reason I never bothered to learn your name."

Meanwhile Lau continued to be one of Zhao's favorites, and he found himself promoted to higher corporate ranks. Of course, one couldn't advance without making a few enemies. Eventually the smuggling came to be larger scale, and new opportunities always brought new adversaries in other organizations as well.

Lau was used to opposition, however, and it all went back to his days of fighting the boys back when he was a preteen. So if anyone dared make a move, it wasn't hard to fight back. That slim, quick build of his soon became his greatest advantage. It was known throughout the lower ranks of the underworld that Lau was not only cunning in an office environment but could survive outside of it as well.

The young man had known the purpose of all those enigmatic small jobs he'd been doing since the first day Deshi had asked him for help around Kunlun. Securing items with those employees who would hide them away from sight, smudging the numbers on various financial statements, underestimating cash flow in business transactions in order to make the forged numbers seem plausible-there was a hierarchy of power working here, and Qing Bang had to be it.

The trick was that each of these small illegal happenings had to be subtle enough to go unnoticed. That intern must have failed at that. Zhao had never noticed anything committed by Lau, Deshi, or anybody else involved, and by no means had it put a dent into his multitude of wealth, so no harm had been done. However, Lau wondered if Zhao would ever be suspicious of him for anything, and it was truth that he'd be more likely to throw his own son in jail before he did anything to him.

Whatever the case, there was nothing wrong with this slight bending of the law so long as nobody got hurt.

* * *

**November 1872**

" _He'll be at Wutuobang._ "

Deshi had come to Lau's apartment late the previous week, with an opportunity that would be lifechanging. To those amongst the ranks of the Zhaos, it would be quite the opposite of an opportunity, but it wasn't as if their opinion was going to be asked. This little upcoming encounter was kept in a hushed tone.

" _His name is Soo Hong."_

" _And how will I know which is him?"_

" _He'll know which is you."_

Lau wasn't quite sure how that would work, but it intrigued him enough to go find out. If what Deshi said had been true, then this could be Lau's opportunity to really make something out of himself. He could become something more than just a pawn for Kunlun and the state of China.

Lau could make them  _his_ pawns.

What a nice change, to finally be able to take control of fate, to be able to sculpt and mold it however he pleasured. After all, when one had money, they had power, and Zhao wouldn't be the only one able to flaunt it anymore with that stupid grin on his face. The rich had enough already. Flaunting one's wealth, however, was a dangerous game. Everyone knew Zhao had money, for instance, so of course he was a popular target for crime.

Wutuobang, literally meaning "utopia", was a lesser known restaurant in the backstreets of the Changning district. On the ground level, it sold cheap but filling foods to those rougher passersby who had no interest in spending money on an elegant meal. Nothing was illegal about the establishment itself, though it was known to have a reputation for being no good, especially on the lower floor. Wutuobang was quite literally an underworld hang out: half the place was physically located below the surface of the earth. This half was the bar-or the true "utopia" in the restaurant- where the worst would flock to spend their evenings.

The street Wutuobang was located used to be solely domestic. The bar had been the basement of a home, albeit that had been over fifty years ago. Once the foreigners had made their impactful presence, businesses of all kinds took over the street in hopes that the new immigrants to Shanghai would make them rich, while those previously living there had eventually been forced out. Of course, the economy was collapsing with a stronger intensity day by day, but certain places still managed to keep their funds steady. Generally this was managed by letting any overheard illegal transactions slide.

To get to the bar, there was a staircase was in the back of the restaurant, concealed by a wall that jutted out. It wasn't guarded or an outright secret. Nobody was stopped from walking towards it. One might not have noticed it, however, unless if they had already been told about its existence.

While appearing calm, Lau had trouble fighting that unshakeable feel of unease that came with uncertainty. He made his way down that creaky staircase, feeling the increasing warmth as he descended into the musty lower quarters. The smell of alcohol filled his nostrils. Chattering and music became louder and clearer as the room opened up. Looking around, he saw there were many people seated at tables and couches, drinking from cups and bottles of liquor. Some beverages were plain, and others were bright colors mixed with exotic parts that had to be in there for more than taste. The room was lit by candle lanterns strown throughout on the tables, and their multicolored paper shells illuminated the room in a way that reminded Lau of a kaleidoscope, which he had only seen at Shen's house years ago.

Lau heard his name, in a soft, feminine voice coming from his right.

"You are Lau  _Xiānshēng_ , yes?"

Lau glanced over and saw the petite woman, whose hair was in two tight buns, tied with silky yellow ribbon that matched her body-hugging qipao's shade. She smiled politely at his gaze.

"I am."

The girl nodded. "Good. Follow me. Soo  _Xiānshēng_ has been awaiting your arrival."

She lead Lau past the crowds, to the other end of the bar where there were multiple doors leading into private rooms. She stopped at the one closest to the back. With a precautionary glance around the area, slid the it open and motioned for Lau to step inside. He did so and immediately heard the door slam shut behind him, cutting him off from the outside world and leaving him alone under the grasps of Qing Bang.

The room was decorated nicely, with various paintings and statues in each corner. At the center table, a man who must have been in his fifties sat. His long, braided hair was greying ever so slightly, and his eyes studied Lau, wrinkling around the edges. On the table was a ceramic bottle of  _baijiu_ and two glasses. Some food was alongside it as well, though Lau was anything but hungry.

The  _baijiu_ looked very tempting however, and Lau wished he could be in Soo's position, holding the meeting and having the ability to drink without worrying about the consequences. Lau didn't like being the one judged.

"Lau  _Xiānshēng_! I'm glad you decided to come," Soo said. The corners of his mouth twitched into something that may have been a grin, but it was hard to tell.

Lau still gave a charming smile in return, even if it was difficult to be amiable. "I couldn't pass it up."

Soo nodded, and outstretched an arm towards the pillows across the table from him. "Sit," the man instructed. Lau did as commanded and watched as the liaison poured a shot of  _baijiu_ and put it in front of the young man.

"Hard work does not go unnoticed," Soo began, placing the bottle back on the table with care. "You've proven to have potential and your connections with Zhao Keung are quite useful. The company already provides a means to export various high demand products, be it tea, porcelain, or opium. Your rank has been rising steadily there as well, so it is only a matter of time before you could be one of the most influential men of Kunlun.

"If you control Kunlun, you control the trade. If you control the trade, you control the products. If you control the products, you control the people. If you control the people, you control China. If you control China, then you control the world," Soo said. He paused. "Of course, lately the control has become abused. At first, by a faulty home government, and now by the British. As a group, we simply do what we can to take back what is rightfully ours, and not let these tyrants get the better of us."

What a way with words, Lau mused. It was interesting how anything could be made to sound justified. Though, the government  _was_ faulty…

"I respect that."

Soo took a sip of his beverage, and Lau followed suit to be polite. That taste of liquor was soothing, as usual, and he wanted nothing more than to gulp an entire bottle. He shifted his position restlessly and waited for Soo to continue talking.

"You appear to be quite capable, Lau Xiānshēng, so I would like to request something of you. If you succeed, you won't regret it, I promise!"

"What is it that you want?" Lau asked.

"There is a man named Matthew Bennett," Soo said. He reached down and Lau just then noticed he had a bag with him. He wondered what was inside. The man pulled out a piece of paper and slid it across the table so Lau could see. On the paper was a pencil sketch of a middle aged European man, on the older side, sporting gelled hair and a bushy moustache that were colored in as a light brown. "Do you know him?"

Lau stared at the picture, but there was no recognition. He could have been any of those British men. "No."

"Bennett is one of the longest serving members of the Municipal Court, or the police force of this town. He's one of the largest threats for our organization. Countless of our men -of China's men- have been silenced through his efforts. The Court practically relies on him for cracking down on so-called underground activity, so without Bennett, they would find themselves in quite the dilemma." The liaison took another sip of his  _baijiu_. "I was hoping you'd be willing to make that possible-Bennett not being there for then, that is. We need him gone forever. It's a difficult task, but none of our current men can do it as we have to lay low. Somebody like you, however, is not being watched, and removing him from the overall picture would be much more possible."

Lau raised an eyebrow. "You want me to be your hitman?"

"Is that a problem? Bennett is not a good man, From his first days over on this side of the world, he's done nothing but trouble," Soo said. What he said next he seemed to almost take pride in, as if he'd been waiting to tell Lau this from the moment he'd walked in the room. "I don't know if you heard of the attack on Canton way back in 1858, but he was a major player there. Bennett relentlessly pushed for it, hoping to win over the area, and as a result, hundreds to thousands were killed. Tragic, really, but it landed his career in the Court."

Lau felt his heart automatically skip a beat. Despite himself, he reached down and clutched onto his glass of  _baijiu._ Soo seemed to notice his discomfort in a strangely pleased way.

"So you do know? Well, some could pinpoint the entire second war we've had with the British on him. There was a ship called  _Arrow_. It was originally a Chinese ship, but it was sold to the British. Reportedly, Chinese marines were seen pulling the British flag down and capturing the crew. Reportedly is the key word here, and let me tell you that even if it was true, given the circumstances it's understandably so. The British consul, Harry Parkes, openly demanded that the crew was to be released or else the British would attack. Matthew Bennett, who worked closely with Parkes at the time, was the one who came up with that strategy. We know what happened next."

Lau nodded. So Matthew Bennett had been the root of all that dismay nearly fifteen years ago. The poverty, the nightmares, the panic attacks, the deaths...it was all because of that man. There had never been a way to get revenge on something so large before-it wasn't as if Lau could have confronted the entire British army-but now he had a name. A person to single out and blame for it all, and perhaps that was all he needed.

"What I want you to do is a test of loyalty, both to us and to all those innocent people who've had to suffer under Bennett's influence, you see," the liaison continued. "It's also a test of abilities, to see whether or not you can handle such an assignment. With you being so heavily connected in Kunlun, I figured you would be able to easily find out information on the Municipal Court since the company has such heavy ties with Europe.

"I'm sure I will."

"Wonderful. If you're successful, then we'll talk again."

Lau clutched onto the drawing of Bennett and looked at the sketched face which stared back at him. He'd make the man wish that  _Arrow_ never existed.

There was nothing wrong with this slight bending of the law so long as only a certain few got hurt.

* * *

The next day was uneventful, consisting mainly of Lau and Hsiao lounging about the apartment, or trying to do so at least. Lau's mind was all over the place with thoughts of Canton, which had been so easily resurfaced from his conversation with Soo. Obviously Hsiao's increasing congestion wasn't going to allow too much relaxation on his end, either. Lau felt shaky. He wanted opium, but also needed to think of a plan quick because he needed more money for that. He'd tried calming his nerves in a multitude of other ways, but nothing worked and he had resorted sitting there anxiously, with a book propped in his hands more for something to hold than actually read, hoping that he'd spontaneously be struck with some sort of murderous inspiration.

The coughing from the other side of the room was unbearable. Despite finding himself annoyed at  _everything_ without his usual depressants to keep him sane, Lau didn't bother to say anything. Not only was complaining a waste of energy, but Lau realized that if  _he_ was this put off, Hsiao, currently hunched over at his desk from coughs, must have felt ten times worse.

Lau still managed to feel compassion for the man. As obnoxious as he could be, Lau was at a better than where he would have been without Hsiao, which was a fate much worse than coughing. Probably death (What came with death, Lau wasn't so sure, but the idea of nonexistence and eternal existence both were equally unsettling, so he decided to simply not think about it). Yet something about it had always annoyed him, especially at times like these, and eventually he couldn't hold it back any longer.

"Why did you take me in way back then?" Lau asked suddenly, out of the blue. It was said nonchalantly, and he hadn't even looked up from the book he'd never read, yet it was anything but casual. He hadn't asked it so directly before, even after all these years.  _Heaven knows you hate any sort of commitment._  These words that Lau had overheard years ago still rang clearly in his head. In fact, they were one of the reasons Lau had never asked Hsiao. Perhaps as a child he never wanted to question it-as if asking about the situation would ruin it. Then he felt too awkward about it, and lately he just hadn't spent enough time with the older man to ask. That concern had been pushed to the back of his mind, in those deep crevices that he chose not peer into. It had always been there, however, trying to climb its way out. As childish as it was, he hadn't stopped wondering, and eventually it had to win.

Hsiao didn't seem to surprised by the interrogation. He was more concerned with his lungs, it seemed. "All those years ago?"

" _Sh_ _ì_."

Hsiao shrugged. He still hadn't looked up from the papers he had laid out on the desk. Lau wasn't sure what they could be-the man hadn't gone into work for quite some time due to his illness. "I've told you; I couldn't just leave you there to die."

"You  _could_ have."

"I  _wouldn't_  have. You were just a kid, and a smart one too. It would have been a crime to leave you."

Lau had already heard that. There were countless homeless kids out there, many of them smart, so wasn't totally satisfying. Lau sighed and leaned back, tossing the book to the side. There was no need to put on any airs at home, at least. "Right." The two sat in silence for a long time again, with Hsiao continuing the paperwork and Lau not doing much more than sulking.

"I had a kid, a long time ago."

That got Lau's attention. He looked up over at Hsiao, who had now actually looked up from the desk.

" _Shénme_?" What?

"I had a kid. A few years before I knew you, that is."

Lau paused. Hsiao had always been quiet, but how the hell had he not heard  _this_ before? "Oh?"

"A wife, too. It was a long time ago, back when I had lived here originally. But there was an...incident, and they passed away. It was after that when I decided to travel. I just didn't want to stay here, so I spent a long time running from the past, you could say," Hsiao explained. Lau wondered if it when the physical symptoms of stress had shown, that was when Hsiao began relying on Yong's concoctions for remedies when nothing else seemed possible.

Hsiao continued, "But then you showed up, all charismatic and bold. It reminded me of my son. He'd been younger than you, but it was about the same age."

"What was his name?"

"Hung."

"I'm sorry." Though Lau made sure he looked sympathetic, it was hard to be too sad when that kid's death had simultaneously saved Lau's life... _Really_ , Lau mused,  _thank you, Hung, for dying_! That was a horrible thought though -even Lau realized this- and he would never dare say it.

Hsiao started coughing again and turned back to the desk. Lau watched a moment, deep in thought. If they just had enough money, maybe Hsiao could afford some proper medicine...

A life for a life…

And inspiration hit him.

* * *

It took some investigating over the course of a couple of days, but everything lined up. Matthew Bennett was a prominent man in the coastal area of Shanghai and Lau wondered if he hadn't seen him before in passing. However, life any man away from home for years, he had a suspicion of where he could find him. Though primarily, Lau wouldn't have to make any contact. It was safer to lay low at first, and not raise any suspicion.

Lau looked at Hsiao, who was quite pale and laying in bed. Hopefully he wouldn't be for too much longer.

"Are you out of your medicines?" Lau asked, referring to those horrible potions. For once, maybe they would come to save the day.

Hsiao nodded weakly.

"Do you have any money for it?" Lau asked. Hsiao nodded again and pointed to the counter where his savings were always stashed away. Lau went over and pulled out the amount he knew would be necessary for Yong, and after a split second of mental debate, took the rest, too. It wasn't ideal, but it would pay off. He grabbed almost all the money he had as well, only saving some for the second part of his plan, if this worked. It was payday soon enough.

"I'll be back, Hsiao  _Xiānshēng_!"

Lau exited the house and entered the busy street. Like always, he was greeted by the stench of sweat and a blustery wind. People brushed by him, with sunken hollow eyes, each continuing their stagnant, meaningless life. He hated the cold, but the body heat coming from the jam packed street wasn't exactly welcoming either.

Lau would break away from these annoyances. He slowed his pace to blend in with the rest of the impoverished citizens and made his way towards Yong's house, to the less busy and even grungier end of their zone. Her apartment the same as always -weathered and forgotten- and no different than any other place. A beam of light might as well have been shining down on it, however, because this time it also carried hope.

He didn't even knock before barging in the place. The door was never locked anyway (whether because the old coot forgot or because it was also a commercial residence, Lau wasn't sure). Yong didn't seem surprised however. She was seated in a chair in the living room, sewing some fabrics, and glanced up with a smile as if she knew Lau was already there.

"Ah, little Hsiao. You are earlier than usual."

Lau nodded and shut the door behind him with a kick of his foot. "Am I? I hadn't even noticed!"

"Here to get some medicine for Quon?"

"Yes, but I have a special request, too, " Lau said. "I think you're the best woman for the job!"

Yong observed him carefully, standing up. She prodded around his body, lifting up his arms and observing his build. It was uncomfortable but Lau let her. "Is your request my  _chen pi_  tea excursion? Because you're still way too skinny, little Hsiao! You're all skin and bone! I don't understand how you can be like that when you're related to Quon."

Lau didn't bother to point out the error anymore. He pulled his arm back. "No, it's not! How about we go to the back first, get the regular medicines sorted out, and then I'll explain?"

Yong motioned for the young man to follow her back to the apothecary and his eyes immediately fell onto that concealed area in the back where he had wandered many years and and saw a strange array of "ingredients". He sat down in the chairs she had by the table closest to the door and watched her a moment in silence, as she bustled about preparing the ridiculous tonics for Hsiao. Not much thought seemed to go into them, but then again she didn't have much of a show she had to put on for Lau. She finished and handed him the bag.

"Now what was it you wanted, too, little Hsiao?" Yong asked.

Lau grinned. "Right, that!" He paused and lowered his voice. "You make  _gu_ , don't you, Yong  _Tàitài_?"

_Gu_  was poison, and Lau had heard of it plenty through Deshi and other acquaintances he'd made through his side job. After having gone to Yong's place enough and seeing an array of traditional poisonous creatures-centipedes, snakes, and the like- he eventually figured out just how the crazy old coot kept her funds high.

She had her own personal black market.

Yong gaped. She scrutinized Lau, eyes narrowing, quizzically, coming down from the usual mystical front she put on. The woman sat in her chair beside the desk, suddenly serious. "And what do you know about  _that_?"

"I know a what cover up look like, and you have every ingredient for it, and plenty of other effective mixes! This little show you're running is genius, but I know there's more to it than that," Lau smiled. "Don't worry! I won't tell a soul if you don't."

Yong shook her head. "What I do is not a cover up. These potions-" She motioned to the bag Lau held, with Hsiao's medicinals. "-work, little Hsiao."

"You give people water mixed with milk and say it cures broken bones."

Yong gave Lau a small smile. "I give people  _dreams_ , Lau, and the assurance that they will be okay. It makes them feel better to be taking something, so is it in itself so bad? Haven't you ever looked for comfort in something, even if you know it won't necessarily fix all your problems?" Yong pointed to her head. "What's important is in  _here_. With the right way of thinking, everything else can be okay. I'm sure you know that."

Selling dreams...she had a point, Lau couldn't harp on that.

"Right, but about the  _gu_ -"

"It's going to take a lot more than what you pay normally," Yong scoffed.

"You don't think I know that?" Lau asked, and in turn reached into the pockets of his cheongsam and pulled the money he had taken from home."Will this cover it?"

Yong's boney fingers reached for currency. She counted it quickly. "It won't get you much. Only a small vile, and that  _only_ because I know you and am thankful for your patronage, whether you resent it or not."

"That's all I need," Lau nodded. Yong continued to eye the young Lau a moment longer.

"Once you leave this shop, whatever you do is your problem. I never gave this to you," Yong said. "There's no way to trace it back to me. Trust me, others have tried. I'd say ask them, but you won't find them."

Lau chuckled. Yong was still crazy, alright, but smart too. "Of course, Yong  _Tàitài_. I wouldn't dream of it."

"With the amount I'll give you, it won't be lethal on its own. It could paralyze somebody at worst, but chances are it's just enough to sicken the person, probably an hour or so after the consume it. They'll feel queasy. Their joints will ache and their heart palpitations will become irregular for the time being, leaving them alive but vulnerable," the old lady said. "My specialty of  _gu_  takes time to prepare, too. This was incredibly sudden, so I can't give it to you today. I don't keep this sort of thing sitting around."

"When do you think you'll have it?"

"Give me three days," Yong said.

Lau stood up from the seat. "Perfect! I'll see you then, Yong  _Tàitài_! Take care! And thank you for all your help." He exited her house, aware that her eyes were on him until he was off her street.

* * *

Peijing knew her daily schedule well. It wasn't particularly exciting, though to many it would have been a thrill- albeit not necessarily in a positive manner. She woke up in the late morning, made her bed and had a small breakfast of  _baozi_  or noodle soup. Next she would count her money and decide if it was time to go shopping. Of course, ninety percent of the client's' payment stayed with the Madam and the boss, though if a night was particularly lucrative, or if she had saved up enough, Peijing found herself ready to go into market and maybe treat herself to something special to eat. Usually, however, she saved it up for new make-up and clothes, which required shopping in less populated districts of town. After that, she would come back and begin her duty-which could be a wide range of things but the purpose was always the same: to provide pleasure.

Typical shifts started around three am and ended about midnight. Sometimes, she'd be off earlier, and sometimes later, but it always depended on the traffic. She had Sundays and Wednesdays off only, but she would never dare complain about being overworked. It would get her scolded mercilessly, and whining was pointless considering there was nowhere else for her to go. It wasn't as if she had a family waiting for her to come back.

From what Peijing understood, her father could have been anywhere from still in China to the other side of the world -perhaps in Europe or even the Americas. Chances were, he had no idea she existed. Her mother had no idea whether or not he would and for the last few years of contact with the woman, she hadn't had much of a clue about anything in general. She spent her days inebriated and sad, sulking around their grungy little house and missing enough payments where they were almost evicted. It was then, around age fifteen, that Peijing had enough. She had grabbed the few special items she owned, threw them into a sack, and left the place and her mother for good.

But what opportunity was there for a fifteen year old girl with no money, job experience, or education? It was while wandering the streets that she had ran into the Madam, who had offered her free board and food in exchange for certain special services. Peijing hadn't had much experience in that field either, but the Madam insisted that it was perfectly fine. Just being female was enough to be valuable.

Or completely worthless, depending on how one looked at it. Most of the time, Peijing felt like a dispensable toy, who was played with mercilessly by old and young men alike, and then long forgotten the next day. Of course, many clients came back multiple times, but not so much for her sake but the sake of their testosterone-filled urges. However, these animal-like desires had to be her best friend. The more she could fulfil these men's desires, as strange and disturbing a they could seem, the more men would want her. The more men wanted her, the more money she could get. The more morey she got, the sooner she might become free.

Freedom was a crazy thought however. It was three years since getting the job and Peijing felt nowhere near being able to leave the brothel. She had risen to great popularity amongst clients, so there was no way the madam would let her leave without a fight, and of course she still had no idea where else to go. The money she earned was usually spent fairly soon, because the only meal they were given was breakfast and they had to buy everything else themselves. It was a never ending cycle, meant to never allow the ladies to leave. They were trapped in the system, lured in by the chance for shelter and stability as young things, and enslaved until they were too old to be useful and thrown out onto the streets.

So she would embrace each and every man- despite how horrible, or drunk, or just terrifying some could be-in order to survive in the meantime.

"You haven't eaten anything, Peijing."

The girls were in the back dining room. It was small and not particularly inviting, though of course, no guests were invited into the area. However, none of the girls minded the size or condition too much, because it was better than where most of them had come from before. One of the girls had pointed out Peijing's lack of appetite before, because it was always after a rough night.

"I'm not hungry," Peijing said. It was what she always said. The other girl didn't say anything else on the subject.

It was very well known that some men were better than others, whether it be by their demeanor, pay, or otherwise. Sometimes a girl was lucky and found a nice man who wanted company more than anything else, and would give a good sum of money. However, there were also those that were anything but concerned over the girl's feelings, and treated them nothing more than an unbreakable doll, paying no more than bare minimum at best. The madam would never turn down a customer, however, so long as they had some money to give her. The girls just had to accept that. There were nicer brothels, and this wasn't one of them.

Her friend gave her a sympathetic look. "It was  _him_ again, wasn't it? He's been here a lot lately, hasn't he?"

Peijing nodded. "Bennett booked Friday, too."

"With you? He usually likes to switch it up. Huh, you must be good."

Matthew Bennett was probably one of the worst men with whom Peijing had dealt. He'd stumble in on weekends, drunk and on the verge of violent outbreak, but still coherent enough to be acceptable to the madam, which mainly consisted of paying the minimal fines. If he requested Peijing, the next couple hours would be absolute torture. So long as she wasn't found dead or seriously injured to the point of not being able to work her next shift, however, the madam never cared. Peijing had managed to get herself out of each of those situations, miraculously.

Deciding she was done picking around at what was left of her food, Peijing excused herself and made her way back to her room to prepare for her duty. For once, she had an early shift. Peijing had inquired why, but the madam simply explained that the man had offered a good amount of money for the soonest slot available. She put on her make-up, the outfit her specific client claimed to like best, and waited.

It was odd for Lau to come on a Tuesday, especially at ten in the morning. Luckily, especially compared to Bennett, he was quite tolerable. Peijing sometimes wondered if he was actually paying for just sex or just a false sense of intimacy.

He had come exactly on time. Peijing switched into her proper mindset, which was an entirely different personality from her usual self, and lead him to their private room, all with breasts pushed out, cheeky smiles and the constant batting of eyelashes.

"You're here earlier than usual, babe," she mentioned, closing the door behind them swiftly. He sat on one of the chairs in the room and she straddled his lap, slowly tracing her fingers up his chest. Instead of making any immediate moves in response, however, he sat in silence for a moment.

Peijing continued to go through her routine, figuring maybe he was just having an off day himself.

However then he leaned away from her, gently taking her hands in his and lowering them. "Peijing, I have a question for you."

"And what would that be?" she smiled, sure it would be some odd request to fulfill some strange fetish he'd been repressing for awhile. She got that fairly often.

Lau paused. "I've heard that you know man named Matthew Bennett."

That was not what she was expecting at all, and it must have shown. In fact, it came as something of a slap in the face and Peijing struggled for words. "I…" No, she had to stay alluring. "Oh, do we have to talk about others right now?"

He didn't drop the subject, however. "It may be difficult to talk about, but I don't think you'll regret it."

"This time is about you-"

"I never said it wasn't."

Peijing hesitated. Lau watched her face intently, as if trying to read her thoughts. "What do you know about his personal life, little flower?'

The girl shook her head. "I've never talked to him about that." Was she even supposed to be discussing other clients like this? How did Lau find out that Bennett was one of her regulars? Why did he care?

Lau launched into quick backstory on the man. It included politics and military procedures that she didn't entirely comprehend, but the point was clear. Bennett was just as bad outside of the brothel as he was in it, and for whatever reason Lau seemed to be personally offended by this.

"And what about you?" Lau asked. Peijing tilted her head. "I mean, how far would you be willing to go in order to not have to deal with him again, or any men like him? At least not in this environment."

"What do you mean?" Peijing asked quietly.

That's when he told her a plan so crazy that she almost ran to the madam right then. Yet something about it-despite the fact that it broke every last moral she clung onto-was appealing to the girl. It did offer potential hope, if it would work, and that was something she hadn't had in three years.

"He comes on the weekends," the girl whispered. "If you can get it to me before Friday night, it will probably work."

Lau grinned. "Meet me behind the butcher's shop down the street from here Friday! Nobody's ever there. What about at noon? Is that good for you?"

"Yes, it should be fine."

"I have full faith in you, Peijing!" The man outwardly beamed, though after years of experience with all sorts of men men in all sorts of mental states, Peijing could easily pick up on emotions well enough to realize he didn't seem  _totally_  at ease with this himself. He motioned for her to stand up, and she did so. They stood up and he made his way to the door, wanting no more business with her. "That was all I needed to see to you about, darling. If we're lucky, this will be our last official appointment together, too!"

Perhaps it  _was_  that slight bit of uncertainty in his own voice that got her to agree to such a thing. After all, if he wasn't sure if he could pull of something that crazy, but had decided to do it anyway, maybe she could go for a chance at her own freedom as well.

* * *

"Hey, Lau, I need to talk to you!"

Lau had just gotten off his shift at Kunlun and was eagerly heading home. He made an effort not to groan as he heard Shen's voice call out after him outside the front of the building, but he allowed himself to turn around and wait for him to catch up. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk at all, but usually he had other things he'd rather do more. "Hmm? What is it, Shen?"

"I wanted to tell you before my father did, because you're going to be invited."

Lau tilted his head. "Invited to what?"

Shen hesitated. "My wedding."

Not much surprised Lau anymore, but this managed to be somewhat of a shock. He wasn't quite sure what to say, or what to even think, so he went with the most common response to a marriage announcement and put on a smile. "That's quite the big deal! Congratulations, I'm happy for you!"

Shen frowned. "Is that really how you feel?"

Lau shrugged. "I  _do_  feel like it's a big deal! And they say marriage can bring good fortune!" He studied his friend's facial expression a moment and sighed. "Since when has this happened?"

His friend looked around again, appearing incredibly anxious. Lau was almost tempted to take him to one of the dens he frequented in order to relax, but he knew that would be pointless and only raise a red flag on their friendship, if it could even be considered that anymore. "It came up a few months ago. She's part of the Szeto family. They're good acquaintances with my father since they're also executives in the trade business. As soon as she turned sixteen, both my parents and hers pressed for the marriage right away."

"Ahh," Lau mused. "What's her name?"

"Liling."

"Well, I'm sure she's nice."

"I wouldn't know, I've never met her," Shen grumbled. "At least you can marry somebody you've met."

"Ha, me getting married! That's a good one, Shen!" Lau laughed, and seeing the sad look on his friend's face, quickly added, "Not that marriage is bad!"

"It's not marriage itself I'm against," Shen explained. "And it's not her specifically. It's just the fact that it's solely for the company. By marrying her, I'm just one of Kunlun's business transactions!"

"Yeah, that's true."

"Thanks."

"You said it, not me!" Lau said. He should have felt bad, and he knew it, yet it was hard to have a pity for a man who was stuck in a marriage because both parties were too wealthy for their own good. It seemed like the opposite of a problem. "I'm sure it'll be fine, Shen. You'll be happy!"

Shen had money, and that was all that was needed for happiness, anyway.

Lau wasn't so happy that he'd be stuck going to some wedding with a bunch of big wigs, though.

* * *

Peijing wondered if this was all a sick joke, or worse, a way to get her arrested for becoming involved in a crime. However, she didn't leave the designated meeting place for her and Lau. If he indeed did come, and this crazy plan of his did work, then he promised to buy her way out of there and give her enough to start something new. There was no guarantee that he would follow his word, but even if he didn't, this was a way to get Bennett out of the way from her and the other girls…

"Ah, Peijing! What a wonderful surprise to see you here!"

Peijing turned around and saw walk up, ever so casually. He immediately took her hand in his, almost romantically, except for the fact that she felt something cold slip from his palm into hers. She cupped her hand around it and he let go.

"Y-yes, what a surprise," she muttered, and the vile in her hand felt a million pounds heavy.

"Well, I wish I could stick around a talk, but sadly I have other places to be. I'll still see you Friday at midnight?" he said quietly. Friday night. That was when all would happen, though he wouldn't be seeing her. However, she understood his intention.

"Yes, that sounds perfect," Peijing nodded. Midnight was when her shift was done and Bennett should leave. If what Lau had said was correct, the liquid in her hand should be given a few hours before. By the time he would be feeling weak and on the verge of collapsing, he'd leave the brothel, walk a little ways, and Lau would take it from there. She'd never had to deal with any of that any more, and the only aftermath for her would be Lau coming back a few days later to buy her escape.

It was okay. She wasn't a murderer. The potion wasn't lethal, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to stay historically accurate with concerns such as the Opium War, however I had to use a little creative license by adding Matthew Bennett...the rest of the Arrow story, specifically, is true however.   
> As usual, I'm no Chinese expert so if any translation is wrong, feel free to let me know! Google Translate was my best friend during this and GT's not always the most reliable friend either haha.


	5. Chapter 5

**Shanghai, Jiangsu, China**

**August 1871**

Uncertainty was really a horrible concept. It allowed one's imagination to run rampant, and anything uncontrollable such as that only brought about anxiety. The act of waiting was terrible, therefore, simply because it gave one time to think. Thinking was quite terrible. It was so much better just to lay down, without any thoughts of the future, allowing the mind to slip into some sort of unconsciousness...

Lau had been sure to drink some of Hsiao's stored ginseng before heading over in order to stay focused on this undeniably terrible task. The ginseng had only managed to wire him up. This was the type of job that shouldn't allow for much thought, because if one actually thought about their actions any more than on a superficial level, would they really go through with it? Lau was ready for action right then. He was ready to be done with it. He was ready to go back to Soo and prove himself worthy. He was ready to get his reward and secure his future.

Even standing there preparing for a murder, however, Lau still found himself craving that  _one thing_. That sweet, smoky opiate that had filled his lungs so many times before and was always on his mind. It was both the idle  _and_ swamped man's best companion.

Though in the meantime, Lau supposed that he had everything he needed. A knife. A bag. A plan. And soon he would have so much money that he would never have to think again. It just required patience.

Lau saw Bennett's figure stumbling out of the whorehouse a little past midnight. To most, he'd just appear drunk. He might have been partially, but assuming Peijing had done her part, the  _gu_ would be a major factor as well _._  For this, it worked better than alcohol, because it was more than just a simple depressant. It would shut the systems down one by one, making it nearly impossible for Bennett to fight back. That wasn't why Lau had wanted to use the  _gu_ , however. He didn't mind a fight. Sure, the fact that Bennett couldn't scream would make it so much easier to get away with, but there was another component of  _gu_  that was particularly-concerningly-appealing.

_Gu_ didn't shut down the mind. One felt incredibly sick and it made mind-to-body transactions difficult, yet the victim would be perfectly aware that  _something_ was wrong. The body would sting and burn painfully, and that would make the murder – _no, it was just an act of avenge!_ \- so much more worth it. The man who had inflicted pain upon so many Chinese would finally feel all that pain himself, and he would be aware enough to understand that his end was going to be a terrible one.

Lau waited a moment for the man to stumble farther from the brothel before finally making his move.

It wasn't hard. In fact, maybe it was  _too_  easy. Bennett couldn't do much more than fall out onto the ground in a helpless heap with fear in his eyes and no luck. Adrenaline pumped through Lau's veins as he dragged the man farther away from civilization. It really was just the two of them. It was just the two of them-a person of China and a representative of the British empire- along with darkness and the cold.

Lau hated the cold.

He'd wondered what it would be like, for him to finally have the man who had destroyed his life at his mercy. He'd thought he would call him out on every horrid thing he had permitted. He thought he'd make him suffer violently. Bennett was probably praying for a quick death, and Lau hadn't planned on giving it to him. But there was something in those eyes-those unnerving, light blue, foreign eyes-that struck Lau oddly. And he could only bring down Bennett in one swift motion.

Lau took his slender knife and cut it across Bennett's throat.

That was it.

Murder wasn't theatrical.

Bennett's life ended.

Of course the world didn't end. One could still hear the crash of waves from the mighty Huangpu. Cricks kept chirping. The wind howled continually, sending a shiver down Lau's spine. Unlike his boyhood fights, however, nobody was around to cheer or shout. His opponent didn't stand back up, sending a glare and a snarky comment. There was no call for a rematch; there were only glassy blue eyes staring into nothing.

Lau's head hurt and he suddenly wanted nothing more than to leave the site and get back to his sweet world of opium, of forgetting. Everything now was too sharp, too clear, too real.

Lau reached down to Bennett's left hand and removed the wedding ring from his fat finger. It was probably worth something, after all.  _He's probably got a family over there in England, but he still comes here! Being separated from home like that really gives you the chance to act how you want without consequence, and I think what somebody chooses to do say a lot about them._ Lau caught himself dwelling over Peijing's words, and he did wonder about Bennett's family in England. Even if Bennett wasn't the best man, there must have been somebody who cared...

Marriage really was stupid in a world where everyone was destined to die.

Lau pulled out the bag he'd tucked away in the pockets of his robes. The head was going to be for proof, but the rest of the body was useless. The shore wasn't too far away, so he decided to dispose of it there. Nobody could find that.

* * *

Lau would never forget that smug feeling of satisfaction as he dropped the bag in front of Soo  _Xiānsheng_. Of course, news rang all over town that Matthew Bennett, one of the leaders of The Council, had disappeared without a trace. The British figured it was foul play by the Chinese government. This amused Lau the most, because he hated the Chinese government as much as he did the British one. As far as the newspapers and British were concerned, Bennett's death was a terrible tragedy that should be mourned with great respect amongst everyone.

Perhaps Lau should have mourned, not for the man even, but for himself. However, he kept his sorrows superficial.

"Nobody knows where the man is," Lau said, quite proud of himself and Peijing, for whom he had plans. "Most wouldn't even guess the location of his last whereabouts in the first place, and those who would have an idea wouldn't tell. You have nothing to worry about."

"You say that with such confidence," Soo mused, not fazed by the rotting head on the table in front of him, lifelessly staring in his direction. Just how many of those had he seen? "You have succeeded as hoped, so there will be a reward."

Lau was gifted a rather large treasure. Perhaps it wasn't a fortune, but when he felt the weight of the money fall into his cupped hands, he felt a moment of déjà vu. He remembered his old days as an orphan, desperate to find anything-even bread. The food in itself wasn't of great value, but it had provided hope. It was a start of bigger things. It was funny how something like bread could bring about the same joy to a child as money did to a man. Bread was a necessity for life, but money was a necessity to truly live.

This reward was the start of his eternal wealth.

"I like you, Lau, I really do," Soo smiled. "I want you to come back. There's still plenty to teach you."

Lau stayed out for a long time that night with some of the others such as Deshi. After the partying had ceased, and feeling on top of the world, Lau went back to his apartment, with his pocketful of money that still felt as if it would last a lifetime and a future of still more money represented to come. There would be no more worrying about how to pay the bills, or what there would be to eat, or what to do when something needed to be replaced.

There would be no more reason to worry about that  _damned_  cough of Hsiao that would rattle throughout the entire house, or hearing his raspy voice beg for more of Yong Taitai's  _damned_  concoctions. Now Lau had a cure. Maybe his methods of obtaining such a victory was shady, but what mattered was the present. There was no need to dwell in the past

Hsiao was going to be better, and everything was going to be okay. Determined to focus on this and not the murder or that wedding ring or those light blue eyes, Lau had allowed himself to spend the night drinking away, surrounded by his new fellow companions and the celebration of a victory-not a crime!

It couldn't have been wrong after all, when he had done it to help himself. To help Hsiao. To help the Chinese people from the grasps of the British.

"Hsiao Quon, I've got the answer to all our troubles!" Lau announced, stumbling into the apartment and where the man was laying down. "We're going to pay off the debts right now. It was a promotion at work, you see-"

Then he saw Hsiao's cold body on the floor, and Lau realized he was actually completely alone with nothing for company but a murder on his conscious and what was really just enough money to last a couple of months.

* * *

"I'd like to pay Peijing's debts!"

The madam looked slightly peeved, but she didn't argue Lau's proposition as he showed a rather large payment for the girl. Peijing was profitable as an employee, but that must have covered what she would have normally made for quite a long time.

"Just go," the Madam hissed at the girl. "And I don't ever want to see your disgusting face again,  _Jìnǚ._ "

Peijing promptly agreed. "Come with me, little one," Lau instructed, and she trailed right behind him without a word. They made their way farther to the outskirts of the district, to an area where nobody would be present to overhear a word. Peijing, whose pulse was constantly increasing, wondered if he was going to kill her off too, disposing of her without second thought. She wouldn't allow that. She'd done everything he'd instructed and his plan had worked fine. Of course she felt slightly guilty, but Bennett had been a horrible man anyway and now she was promised her freedom!

Lau stopped walking in front of a barn and faced her, gaze fixated directly into her eyes. She wanted to look away but stayed strong. He said,"You did your part well and I kept my part of the promise."

Peijing nodded. "Thank you very much, Lau  _Xiānsheng_ -"

"That's not enough to satisfy me," Lau continued. Peijing felt her heart pound harder in her chest. This was going to be the end. He probably planned to rape her right here and leave her for dead. If this turned ugly, she would run.

He didn't quite go in that direction.

"How do I know you won't tell?"

"I have just as much of the blame," Peijing said. "That would be ridiculous."

"Not to mention that nobody in an authoritative position would take anything reported by an prostitute seriously," Lau added, unnecessarily in Peijing's opinion. "The fact that he's British would make it a higher priority, sure, but people always want a scapegoat. By bringing such a situation to light, it would certainly get you involved, putting your life in danger as well. Nobody would fight it if somebody like you got in trouble."

Peijing nodded fervently. She wanted him to be perfectly aware that she was on the same page, that she would never mention this occurrence to anybody, and that he could let her go free. "Yes, Lau  _Xiānsheng_ , I-"

"Oh, but can't they just track where Bennett was the night he went missing?" Lau continued his lift of "what if's," as if he was unaware she had even tried to speak. "The only people who know that would be us and the Madam. She wouldn't admit to anything. Firstly she doesn't know, and secondly if confronted, she'd never be open to such a possibility because it would give her business a bad name." Lau continued. He tilted his head. "So what  _are_ your plans, little flower?"

Peijing tried not to sound too hesitant. "I'll go far away and find a better job and...I'll…" Truth was, she wasn't entirely sure what to answer. She'd been so desperate for freedom that she hadn't even thought of what to do with it.

Lau chuckled. He looked off into the distance a moment, thoughts elsewhere. Peijing stood frozen. Lau looked back towards her, grin plastered on his face. "You silly girl. You think it'd be that easy to find a job? As a multiracial inexperienced whore? The only other job available without connections would be right back at a brothel."

She stayed quiet. He seemed to take amusement in this.

"Downtown by the ports, there is a restaurant called Qilin. I know people there and you could help out I'm sure. They like me there, so they wouldn't say no. I wouldn't expect you to do anything out of line either, correct?"

So Lau had plucked her out of the grasps of the whorehouse and into his own control. She would never be free. However, it was still a step up. She just wondered if it would be worth it. Lau seemed to be just as manipulative as the Madam, albeit less directly.

"Of course not, Lau  _Xiānsheng_."

Lau beamed, suddenly snapping out of his seriousness and back to a world where all was carefree. "Wonderful! We'll go right now!"

"Right now?"

"This very instant!" Lau said. His eyes slanted. "What else would you do?"

"Nothing at all" Peijing replied, and just as before, she followed him like an obedient dog-that was all she had ever been, really-to wherever he had in mind. She'd never been anywhere near the ports, or even the Huangpu in general.

Peijing was pretty sure that the employees of Qilin knew that Lau landing her a job had a underlying, self-serving reason behind it. Outwardly, however, they acted as if he had just performed the greatest act of charity. He'd run into the poor helpless girl and had thought of a way to get her out of the gutters, so he decided to try to land her a safe haven at his old workplace. What a nice man, taking the unfortunate and giving them a chance in this world!

Though, she did overhear the main boss whisper to Lau, somewhat aggressively, "What are we supposed to do with this tramp?"

"I don't know, give her any job you need! Didn't Tsu just quit?

"Are you suggesting that this  _little girl_  take over Tsu's responsibilities?"

Lau shrugged. "I'm sure she's good with money! That was half of her job before!" He turned towards her now. She was seated at one of the tables a little ways off, trying hard to look as if she wasn't listening in on their conversation. However at the mention of her old job, she looked up. His gaze was fixated directly on Peijing, smirk on his face. He knew she was listening.

Yet he acted as if he had to get her attention.

" _Wèi, Xiǎojiě_!" Lau called out. "You're good at math right?"

Peijing nodded. "The basics, yes."

Lau smiled and clasped his hand on the boss's shoulder. "See? She can be the bookkeeper!" He glanced between the two of them. "I'm  _positive_ that she won't misbehave." Then, a little more quietly, Peijing heard him add, "Besides, you owe me, remember?"

So somewhat reluctantly, the boss accepted Peijing as his money manager.

"If you dare so much as to snatch even the least valuable coin…" he warned, and left the threat open.

Lau offered to let her stay at his apartment, though of course that part was a secret. He had enough extra space and supplies for a second roommate, apparently, and she briefly wondered if he always had that for extra girls. Peijing would have been crazy to turn him down, not because she would have been homeless, but saying no to Lau seemed to be a bad idea.

It was already late at night, but once they were alone in Lau's apartment he turned to her once again, determined. It wasn't like the hungry eyes of the many other men with whom she'd dealt. It wasn't for pleasure, after all, but for information."I want you to tell me what you know about the British."

"I don't know much about politics or business. I've never had a position like yours," Peijing said.

Lau smiled. "You don't need to be an executive to be knowledgeable. No, my little flower, you've got a different kind of knowledge. I can find out Britain's official laws just by looking at the signs posted all over the street! You, however, have gotten to know many of those men personally. Just by being a girl, they pour out their heart and soul to you!"

He had a plan, after all. "What do you want to know?"

* * *

Shen rolled his eyes. He'd gone out of the way to make a visit to that shabby, old shack of Lau's and the man didn't even have the decency to greet him! Instead, some random girl answered the door and, in somewhat of a false sultry voice to (Perhaps to appease him? Or was she just an all-around whore?), said that Lau was "busy." Busy enjoying himself only days after his practical father's death, sure!

Shen never went to that side of town unless if he had too, and this time his conscious told him to pay a visit to his mourning friend. It had to be hard to lose somebody like that, Shen figured. Apparently it wasn't. Lau could just slack off all he wanted and everything was seemingly fine! Well, nothing was fine! How could everything be fine when one lived in a disgusting pigsty like that...

"He said his name was Zhao Shen? He really wanted to see you," Peijing said to Lau after Shen had gone away. As soon as he had heard the knock on the door, Lau had told her to shoo them-whoever they were- away.

"Hmm? Lau asked. "Well, they can..visit later…I don't want to deal with work..."

Lau had had quite the -well, one could say  _relaxing_ \- day and was in no mood or condition to be visiting with people.

"He said he was friend?" Peijing asked.

"Hmmm."

It wasn't brought up again. Peijing doubted that Lau even remembered it, anyway.

* * *

Szeto Liling was a petite girl, but her presence in the wedding was anything but small. She stood out in her traditional bright red dress and blue headpiece, each made out of only the finest materials, no doubt. Shen himself looked good in his special garments, the matching red sashes falling across each other to form an "X" on his chest. Each family paid their respects to the other's family, to the Jade Emperor, and their deceased ancestors. Lau didn't pay much attention to any of that. It wasn't much more than an act anyway, apart from them appreciating the other's social class. The adoration for money truly was authentic.

There were two banquets, one by the bride's side and the other by the groom's. Lau somehow, to his dismay, was invited to both. They each were, in Lau's opinion, disgustingly over-the-top with superficial frills, mainly present to show off rather than enjoy.

"Glad to see that you came," Shen smiled at Lau at his father's reception. It was the first time they'd actually talked since before the wedding. "You're better than when I last dropped by for a visit."

Lau nodded in agreement, though he wasn't sure to what Shen was referring. "Of course, I wouldn't miss this for the world!"

After giving Shen the standard congratulations, Lau went towards the main attraction of this ridiculous event: the money and brain behind it all, Zhao Keung.

The man stood tall and proud with other men, including Szeto  _Xiānsheng_  whom Lau had recognized from the ceremony. These were the big shots of China and even from beyond, judging by one of the foreign men there. These men were Lau's greatest connections and enemies altogether. What a wonderful, horrible opportunity.

"Lau, my boy! How are you doing?" Zhao called out as soon as he spotted Lau, and he put a paternal arm around the young man. In his other he held a glass of expensive wine he'd brought for this occasion. He was always in a good mood around Lau, but tonight he seemed particularly jovial.

"I've enjoyed the evening! They'll be a happy couple," Lau answered, smile plastered on his face. Honestly, he thought they'd be miserable.

"Yes, good. I'm glad you think they'll get along; it's nice to have the Szetos being friendly with us," Zhao said, before dropping the topic of his son altogether. "I'd like you to meet some of my friends here!" The executive introduced his acquaintances from left to right. "Of course you know Szeto Donghai  _Géxià_ here! Then this is Lok Chongkun  _Géxià_ , Feng Wenyan  _Géxià_ , and Sir Nicholas Mitchell. They work in the trading industry as well." He turned to the three and spoke for Lau. "He's only Shen's age, but he's quite the impressive employee. He even speaks multiple languages. He's going to go far, this one!"

Lau smiled pleasantly at each of them and did his best not to break into laughter. What a total suck up!

"You're too kind, Zhao Xiānsheng," Lau politely waved off Zhao's compliments.

Zhao focused at Mitchell, "He even speaks English!"

"Really?" Mitchell asked, and he immediately switched to his native tongue to test the young man out. " _Do you know it well_?"

" _I know it well enough to have understood your question_ ," Lau retorted.

Mitchel smiled. " _Impressive_."

Zhao beamed. "Sir Mitchell has large influence over our British branch. If we're doing business there, he's the man you want to know."

"It's quite the honor, Sir," Lau said. And it truly was. Lau was going to be sure to know him well.

* * *

**Nanping, Fujian, China**

**1885**

The mother cat Chuntao had a full life, and many of her kittens had been given to family friends to raise as soon as they were old enough to be on their own. However, the elderly couple in the outskirts of Nanping kept Ran as their own, and they loved her dearly.

One day, Ran went missing.

The two were quite disgruntled by this.

"Do you think she's okay?" the woman would wonder aloud, pacing the floor of their house. "She is quite old."

The man would wave off his wife's worry, trying to be a comfort. However, he had his own fears as well. "I'm sure she's fine. She's an adventurous type. It wouldn't be like her if she didn't go explore."

"She's never been gone this long!"

"Don't worry over it, yet."

A week passed, and nothing happened.

The lady was sure that this was the end. She mourned Ran, whose fate was unspokenly known between the couple. No cat at that age would do well in the wilderness, especially when they had spent their entire life within such short proximity from the house.

Neither the man nor woman knew how to respond when a well-developed, naked girl of fourteen showed up at their footsteps claiming to be the cat. Her silky hair fell loosely to her waist, and her eyes were an unnatural color of amber. It was undoubtedly the same color as Ran's had been, but there was no way that this girl-this human-could have ever been a cat.

The girl spoke few words-talking really didn't seem to be natural for her-but she insisted of her origin. " _I am Ran. You treated me well. I am this form now because of my long and good life_."

It wasn't a very explicit explanation, but it was the best the couple would get.

"Oh, let me get you some clothes!" the woman quickly said, avoiding the topic of this girl being the same as their old cat. She noticed her husband becoming paler by the second.

Ran didn't seem to enjoy the robes that the lady put her in at all, not to mention that her breasts barely fit, but she didn't outwardly complain. The couple then sat her down in the living room and tried to pull any information out of the girl that they could.

"Do you have any parents?" the man asked.

Ran nodded. " _My mother, you called her Chuntao_.  _And you_."

Both the man and woman felt rather uncomfortable. How would this girl know something like that about their lives?

"We need to take you to town, sweetie. There we can find somebody to properly take care of you," the elderly womanly said hesitantly, but with care. She truly did want to help the lost girl.

" _No. I do not need that,_ " Ran simply said. She stood up to give them proof of herself. Sure enough, in front of their very eyes, the girl transformed into a black cat with a blueish undertone, clothes drifting to the floor around her. Those amber eyes stayed the same, and they watched the couple for a reaction.

It was a miracle that neither suffered from a heart attack on the spot.

Ran shifted back to her human form. She didn't put back on the robes that the lady had offered. Neither seemed to notice or care anymore.

"Have you always been like this?" the old man asked, finally, after he had calmed down enough to form a coherent thought.

" _Fǒu, I am this form now because of my long and good life_."

"Right, just like you said before," the man whispered.

Ran's eyes shifted to the swords, which after all the years she had known the couple, still rested on the mantelpiece. " _You know what these are_?"

"We're not sure. A stranger gave them to us many years ago," the man replied. His voice was still barely audible, though Ran could make out his words quite easily.

" _They are called Mo Ye and Gan Jiang_ ," Ran said, suddenly knowing.

"That's what the stranger said," The man said. He paused. "Do you know him?"

" _Fǒu, but I know these are special_ ," Ran replied simply. She suddenly gave a small smile at the man. " _I am glad you have them. I feel that is good_."

* * *

Another week had passed with Ran living alongside the elderly couple in peace, It had been odd at first, mainly for the couple, but life moved on. Ran was not hard to look after, and she spent much of her time in feline form anyway. It was almost as if nothing had changed.

However, late one night when Ran was away exploring the woods, the little old couple's house was ambushed. There were about five perpetrators, all hoodlums and lowlifes, bursting in with knives and pistols. They took no pity on the elders, instantly slaying them on sight. Ran arrived just in time for this to have happened, and upon seeing the bodies and the few men left searching about the house for any valuable, something special awakened inside of Ran. It was hard to tell if it was more human or catlike, but it was definitely deadly. The men in the abode were quickly killed without a word, apart from one.

She noticed that the swords were missing.

The man she held pinned up against the wall was panicking, as was expected after he saw a girl mercilessly kill his closest friends. The fact that her eyes had narrowed into cat slants was just as unnerving.

She motioned towards the empty place on the mantelpiece and the thief shook his head vigorously.

"I don't have those!" he insisted. "Pon has them; he left before you came!"

Ran let him go from her grasp. The thief fell to the floor but took no time at all in getting right back up and running as fast as he could away from the house. She let him run; her human senses (or were they feline?) were flooding back into her head. She had no desire to track him down. She looked around at the destroyed furniture, and the bare mantelpiece, and then the large amounts of blood splattered on the floor, surrounding her old owners.

Ran left the little house on the outskirts of Nanping. There was nothing left there for her. As a feline, she found her way to the city and stayed hidden away there, mentally deciding that in the future, she'd be sure to make whoever slayed her owners for the sake of the two swords pay for it.


	6. Chapter 6

**February 1885**

**Shanghai, Jiangsu, China**

Peijing woke up to a scream. Well, it wasn't really a scream - it was just a rooster crowing - but it made that horrendous screech almost every morning. Peijing rubbed her eyes and sat up, pushing the covers off of herself. It was a cold morning and she would have liked to stay in bed, but she had to work. 

“You really are a crazy one, aren’t you?” she muttered to nobody but the rooster, who even if he could understand, couldn’t have heard her anyway. Yawning, Peijing stretched and stood up from her bed. She kicked the covers back into place and went over to the window to get a glance at her personal alarm. It flapped around in the yard some, looking as if it was trying to fly but failing rather miserably. “Well, you're crazy but you aren’t the craziest…damn that Lau.” 

Peijing had worked under Lau’s watch for years, just helping with whatever odd jobs he saw fit while simultaneously maintaining her bookkeeping job at Qilin for the first few years. It was a step up from her old life of prostitution, but it still wasn’t much more than a glorified servant. However, after many years of her being forced to do whatever he wanted, Lau had moved up in his own hierarchical gangster world and his priorities shifted. By proving to be his loyal servant, Peijing had gained Lau’s trust as well. She still felt bound to him - where else was there to go? - but he’d dropped the “For your sake, you’ll have to stay with me  _ or else _ ” act. In other words, she now lived on her own without his constant vigilance. She had no plans to do anything against him anyway. He was an undoubtedly profitable ally for a woman with no family of her own for support. 

Just a few years ago, Lau’s entrepreneurial side came through and he opened an opium den called _Lóng de tóu._ It was made possible by his newly found wealth from in Qing Bang. The man was a triple threat - Kunlun businessman, gangster, and entrepreneur. Peijing couldn’t even imagine how much money that man must have had stashed away. 

Peijing wasn’t sure how he could have balanced the busy lifestyle, though Lau had explained before: 

“Kunlun during the day,  _ Lóng de tóu  _ during the night, and then  _ the other _ during both!”

_ Lóng de tóu  _ served as another manner to help facilitate Lau’s carefully watched illegal exportation of opium to countries by dodging taxes and quantity limits. He’d get some legally, but it was simply a cover up. There he could make connections and work with other exporters and members within his own gang to get bigger purchases - unsupervised purchases- to smuggle so that the seller could keep all the profit, not just a portion.  

"Neither Britain _nor China_ deserve the taxes," Lau had said once.

Peijing’s role fell into the bookkeeping, as per usual. Lau was in charge of setting up the transactions through his subordinates, but Peijing kept track of exactly how much money was being made. Most of her job was just within  _ Lóng de tóu’s  _ legal business affairs, though after awhile she noticed her job became to forge other numbers as well. She didn’t mind. It made her money and it was some genius work. 

“Lau doesn’t actually do much, but he’s always thinking of what others can do,” Peijing said outloud in response to her own thoughts, as if the next door rooster was listening. Sometimes she could swear that the animal could understand. Animals were so perceptive. “He’s not even coming into the office today, but I feel like it’s just an excuse to make me work harder. He said it’s because he had plans this past night. Who knows what that meant?”

It was true that Peijing could have never have known that Lau was about to hire a new employee that she would have to train.  Soo had simply told Lau to show up to the Qing Bang offices at midnight, and Lau had no idea of his fate either. 

These particular offices weren’t too far from the  _ Lóng de tóu _ , being that both were strategically placed to be on the opposite side of town from the  Municipal Council’s headquarters. However, if anybody were to wonder what the Qing Bang building was, it acted as an insurance broker’s office - and Qing Bang  _ would  _ offer insurance to people, though the means were questionable.  The insurance act was dropped if one went into the basement, where there were quite a few other rooms that held actual Qing Bang affairs. The mafia had spread out their quarters over nine offices throughout Shanghai and some neighboring towns, each named after a type of classical dragon. The one in which the boss, generally just referred to as the Head Dragon, resided changed ever so often. 

Lau was happy when he reached the building, because it was much warmer in there than it was outside. The fact that it was so late only made it colder. He went downstairs to the Panlong room, named after the dragon of the waters. It was a small and intimate room, with impressive ornate decor but even more impressive soundproof walls. It perfect for holding private meetings without anybody overhearing.

“Soo  _ Xiānshēng _ !” Lau called out, bursting through the door. His sing-song greeting probably could have been overheard by anyone, though he closed the door tightly behind him and the outside world became silent. “I’ve arrived like you requested.”

“Forty-five minutes after the time for which I asked,” Soo noted, eyeing the grandfather clock by the wall. It had been imported from the United States a few years back. A gift for some _services_. 

Lau was rather late and he knew it, but this was an error he could afford to make. Technically, the only ones above him at this point in his career were Soo and the Head Dragon. Soo wouldn’t do much himself because he needed Lau on his side, and if Soo complained to the boss, the Head Dragon would just be mad that his time was wasted on something as petty as time management. 

“ _ An inch of time is an inch of gold, but an inch of time cannot be purchased for an inch of gold _ !” Lau quoted.

“What does that even mean, Lau  _ Xiānshēng _ ?” Soo asked wearily.

“I don’t know, I just heard it somewhere and it seemed relevant,” Lau shrugged, though he knew exactly what it meant. Lau didn’t consider Soo’s last minute meeting so important, so he hadn’t bothered to get there right away. 

Soo was seated at one of the couches. He motioned for Lau to sit across from him. Lau did just that, not hesitating to reach for some of the snacks already placed on the coffee table in between them. At that moment, his eyes fell upon a well-endowed, naked girl seated in the corner of the room. While he was used to seeing the female body without a second thought, this girl stood out because Soo didn’t seem to have her there as some sort of attraction, employee, or slave. She just sat there casually, playing with a piece of yarn. Maybe that was meant to be some strange form of entertainment, though if it was, it wasn’t very exciting. 

One of Soo’s other girls, this one at least partially clothed, came in the room to pour both of the men tea. Lau thanked her. Soo watched silently.

“I have two key points of tonight’s meeting,” Soo said as soon as she left, snapping Lau’s attention back to him from the tea. “Have you ever heard of the Gan Jiang and the Mo Ye swords?”

Lau tilted his head. “You mean from the old legend?” 

Soo nodded. “What do you know about them?”

Lau leaned back on the couch, crossing his legs. It was a long story, so he figured he'd make himself comfortable “Well, I haven’t thought about it in awhile, but if I recall correctly...A few millenniums ago, a certain King Helu of Wu asked a couple named Gan Jiang and Mo Ye to make him a sword. The king put the deadline at three months, but it took three years to make. The only good thing the couple managed to do was make two swords instead of one, but in the end it was useless because Gan Jiang kept one of the swords to himself. The king knew about this secret, however, and that act of treason combined with the extremely late gift angered him. As expected, King Helu ordered that Gan Jiang be killed. I'd do the same, honestly! 

“Before his death, Gan Jiang told his wife and their son, Chi, where he hid the sword he had kept. Later, once old enough, Chi decided to avenge his father. The king had dreamed that this would happen and ordered the same fate for Chi as his father. Chi ended up committing suicide, but another man saw and brought his head to the king to fulfill Chi’s goal. The king was going to boil Chi’s head for some strange reason - personal pleasure, I guess - so the assassin figured while the king did that, he could kill the king by chopping his head off and throwing it in the hot water as well. This worked, but in the end, the assassin killed himself too or some unknown reason and all three heads were in there together...Gruesome fairy tale in my opinion. I hear that a nicer version is told to children.”

“I’m sure it would be have to be censored,” Soo agreed. “And what happened to the two swords?”

Lau thought a moment. “The story never says. Aren’t they said to be magical and hold great power? Or else there really is no point to that story.”

“You're correct, and it's believed that two swords buried somewhere in Deqing. People treat the site as sacred,” Soo added.

“That’s just as delusional as the rest of it. There may be two swords, but that's it. Oh well, one must never let the truth get in the way of a good story, is what I always say!”

“What if I told you it was the truth?”

Lau raised an eyebrow. His body ached. He wanted a smoke, not to talk about fairy tales. He hadn’t done that since he was a kid with Shen. “The truth?”

Soo nodded. “Yes. I can’t verify the chopping off of the heads or the prophetic dream of King Helu, but there  _ is  _ a Gan Jiang sword and a Mo Ye sword out there. Even if they aren’t actually magical, they’re old enough to be from that time period. That means even if they are fakes, they have value.” 

“ _ If _ ,” Lau scoffed. 

Soo said the estimated price, which was much higher than any price on a sword Lau had heard before. 

“Never mind, it’s great what people’s delusions will do for us! You’ve got me interested. Do you want me to hunt them down?”

“Not exactly,” Soo explained. “They were found by some robbers the other week in the Fujian province, in somebody’s house in the middle of nowhere-”

“We can take down a few bandits.”

“-The bandits aren’t the problem. Most of them were already found dead and the sword is in the black market. The location is hazy but if anything that's good for us. You see, the problem is that Sun Yee On has been tracing the location of this sword now that its existence is made known. They’ve already sent more people up to search from their headquarters in Canton. With what it’s worth, it wouldn’t only be a major loss for us but it would give them a lot of financial power. We can’t let that happen.  Until we know more about the sword's location, however, there’s not much we can do except keep a lookout,” Soo further explained. “If these swords do hold any sort of power, then we’ll have to be extra careful.”

“Of course they hold power; they’re worth a fortune from the namesake alone,” Lau said. 

“I mean... _ in other ways _ ,” Soo said. 

“I appreciate your newly found sense of humor.”

“I’m not joking.”

Maybe Soo was the one who desperately needed a smoke.  

“Right,” Lau said, staring Soo down through the slits of his eyelids to make sure he was serious - not that he believed him, anyway. “Thank you for letting me know. If I hear anything, I’ll alert you.”

“Thank you, Lau  _ Xiānshēng _ .”

“You said you had two things to tell me?” Lau asked. 

“ _ Shì _ ,” said Soo. “ _ Lóng de tóu _ seems to be doing well.”

“It’s been quite profitable for everybody, I believe.”

Soo finally motioned towards the naked girl in the corner of the room. She hadn’t moved, and continued to play with the string. She appeared uninterested in both men. “Are you hiring?”

Lau’s eyes shot over to the girl. “You want me to take her in?”

Soo nodded. “She has nowhere else to go.”

“Since when have we been a charity, Soo  _ Xiānshēng _ ?” Lau asked. 

“Haven’t most of your _employees_ at _Lóng de tóu_ been taken in under similar circumstances?”

“They may start without a home or any possessions to their name, but I don’t just take  _ anyone _ . Each of my ladies has their own unique contribution to my cause.”

Soo frowned. “You’ve got some peculiar interests, Lau.”

Lau just smiled.  

Soo turned his attention towards the girl. “Would you come over here?” She stared but didn’t move. “Please?” 

The girl watched at Lau a moment. After what must have been a full evaluation, she brought herself to her feet. Still shameless about her bare body, she walked over to position herself between the two men. her face was expressionless.

“What’s your name?” Lau asked. Physically, she was the perfect woman for his client's desire. Slim and delicate in most places, but voluminous where it counted.

The girl didn’t say anything. She shifted her gaze towards Soo, who sighed. 

“She goes by Ran,” he said. 

“Like the color?”

Soo ignored Lau’s question. “She’s very important, so taking her in is more than a mere suggestion. It’s a request. House Ran for now. At least for the time being.”

“Is there a particular reason?”

“Does it matter?”

What an odd request. She was probably one of the Head Dragon’s out-of-wedlock children, Lau mused. 

Lau leaned forward and focused on Ran. “So you’re willing to work as one of my girls?” Ran nodded. “Whatever the case, I have certain standards you must meet. You know that too, Soo  _ Xiānshēng _ .”

“I’m sure she’ll meet them.”

“Whatever the case...may I have a closer look?” Lau shifted his attention back onto Ran. She nodded again and faced him entirely.

He stood up and circled the girl, eyes scanning every inch of her body. “Lift up your arms.” She did. “Good, now let me see into those eyes.” She looked right back into his. “What an interesting color. Amber, is it? I’ve never seen one like it on a person. All the more charming, I suppose...Now, open your mouth.” She opened it. “Your teeth are so white - almost blindingly so! Not to mention sharp...eh, just don't bare down too hard on anyone.”  

Lau looked at her chest. “May I?” he asked. She nodded for the third time. He placed his right hand on her and felt around a moment. Satisfied, he trailed his hands down her stomach and then over to her curved  hips. He finished on backside. She didn’t look away, and Lau was almost positive that she hadn’t even blinked. 

“She  _ can  _ talk,” Soo interrupted. “She just likes to save her words.”

“My customers are rarely interested in the quality of a conversation, anyway,” Lau muttered. He took his eyes off the girl and frowned back at Soo. “Besides, it’s not her silence that concerns me.”

“I’ve told you: the details as to  _ why  _ you should take her in are unimportant. Just let her stay with you and there will be no problem.”

“I don’t plan on having any.”

“Good, so it’s settled,” Soo said. “Treat her well, and don’t let anything happen to her.”

“I treat all my girls well,” Lau assured. “There is no need to worry about her safety.”

“I’m glad. That will be all then.”

“As always, it was an honor to have tea with you! I’m much obliged,” Lau said. He put an arm around the small of Ran’s waist. “Come now, Ran. _Lóng de tóu_ is a long ways off from here when it’s this temperature outside!” The pair made their way to the doorway, but Soo cleared his throat.

“Excuse me, Lau  _ Xiānshēng _ ?” he said.

“Hmm?”

“Actually, there is  _ one  _ more thing,” Soo said, and he pointed towards Ran. “It may not bother  _ you _ , but before you leave the building, ask Deshi  _ Xiānshēng  _ to get some clothing for the girl before you go out in public? Even if it’s this time at night, you don’t need that kind of attention.”

Ran finally did make a sound. It was soft - almost inaudible - and the closest thing to which Lau could match it was a hiss. 

“Right, silly me...”

* * *

“Peijing!” 

The woman stood outside of  _ Lóng de tóu _ , cleaning up the front entrance of the building . It was just the crack of dawn, and she generally looked forward to starting her mornings undisturbed. Hearing Lau’s voice came as a surprise. “Oh,  _ Huānyíng huílái,  _ Lau _ Xiānshēng _ ! You said you weren’t going to be here today?” 

“Peijing  _ Sīniàn _ , I’m glad you’re here! Don't worry yourself, I’m just here for a moment. I know you wanted a day to yourself,” Lau said. His arm was around a young girl, maybe thirteen or fourteen. She stared blankly. 

“Who’s this?” Peijing asked. 

“Her name is Ran. She’s going to start working here. She’s got potential!” Lau said. 

Peijing eyed the girl’s breasts, which looked ready to pop out of her skimpy qipao at any given moment. “I would say she does…”

Lau continued, “I’m running late; I’ve got a meeting to attend at Kunlun! Could you give Ran the rundown of the place? Also give her the last room on the left and put her on the schedule whenever you see fit. You’re always so good with that scheduling stuff.”

“Well out of all of us who work here, I’m about the only one capable of making one,” Peijing said. It was obvious that Lau heard her, and he seemed to find the comment amusing, though he didn’t say anything about it.

_ “ _ Thanks for your help as always!  _ Zàijiàn -  _ bye !” Lau took his arm off of the new girl and waved as he walked away. Peijing watched a moment, in a mix of amazement and disdain. 

“Well, it’s not like I had anything important to do today anyway! Just the books and the cleaning and...” Her muttering ended when she caught sight of Ran’s gaze. Cute little thing. Peijing just hoped the situation hadn’t been too brutal for her. She knew how Lau could manipulate people.  “You go by Ran? Like the color?” Ran nodded. “Welcome to _Lóng de tóu_ , then. So tell me, why did Lau really bring you here?”

Ran continued to stare.

Peijing waited a moment, hoping Ran would eventually speak up, but was disappointed by a lasting silence. Lau had quite the eccentric tastes. Peijing clasped her hands together and continued, “Right! Well, I’m sure he has his reasons. I’ve known him for years. I can always tell _what_ that man is doing, but for the life of me I can never understand  _ why _ ...Come inside, Ran. I’ll show you around.”

Ran nodded again. She walked behind Peijing into the den, eyes scanning every nook and cranny of the place. It wasn’t particularly beautiful. In fact, it was rather empty, with its main attraction being the plush couches and some leftover bongs here and there. The air was warm and slightly damp, and there seemed to be mildew growing on the wooden floor. 

“ _ Good _ ,” Ran said. Peijing raised an eyebrow. So the girl  _ did  _ talk. 

“I guess…” Peijing said. “Your job will be to greet clients and keep them happy. If any of them look particularly tense or stressed, don’t be afraid to be overly affectionate. It may seem unnatural, but trust me, the more ridiculous it is, the more they like it. Bastards. Basically, if a man comes in the door, be sure somebody greets him.”

“ _ That is what you do _ ?” Ran asked.

“ _ Méiyǒu _ !  No. I hate men,” Peijing said. 

“ _ Is Lau not man _ ?”

“He’s the worst of them all.”

“ _ Then you like girls _ ?” Ran asked, and she didn’t hesitate to grab Peijing’s hand and bring it under the clothing, cupping it around her breast with a slight squeeze. “ _ You like this? _ ”

Peijing’s eyes widened in shock. Blushing, she pulled her hand away. “W-what, did Lau hire you for...for female clients? Is that why he wanted you?”

Ran blinked. “ _ It does not matter to me. _ ”

Peijing stood a moment silently, composing herself. She cleared her throat then spoke again.  “Do what you did with me, but  _ with the customer _ s. Okay?”

Ran didn’t say anything, though Peijing assumed that she heard and understood. So Peijing continued, slightly shaken up. “Sixty percent of what you make goes to Lau  _ Xiānshēng _ . That’s actually a generous amount, considering your room and food is paid for under his supervision. This includes all forms of payment however. If the men want to do more than just talk to you, that’s when you keep tabs on it. We verify to make sure everything adds up.” Peijing went through the standard prices, though she admitted that in many cases one could charge higher if the man seemed happy - or high - enough.

“Some are harder to deal with than others, but don’t worry about your safety. Despite appearances, Lau keeps an eye on everybody when he's here and if somebody acts out of line, he doesn’t hesitate to throw them out. It’s only happened a few times that I know of, but trust me, he’s scary when he has to be.”

Ran said nothing. 

Peijing kept talking. “Most of the girls are probably upstairs in their rooms right now since it’s the crack of dawn. I’ll show you your room and then you can meet the others later.”

The girls walked to the back of the den where there was a musty staircase. It lead to a tight hallway upstairs. There were no windows so it was pretty dark apart from the dim lights of some candles which allowed one to see the many, many doors. 

“ _ What is there _ ?” Ran pointed to the continuation of the staircase to the third floor.

Peijing now lowered her voice to a whipser. “That just leads to the office and Lau’s room. You won’t have to go up there except to turn in your money. So don’t worry about it.”

Ran followed suit and spoke quieter. “ _ Lau Xiānshēng lives here? _ ”

“He has an apartment somewhere else too, but he spends a lot of time here,” Peiijing answered. “So, anyway, Lau  _ Xiānshēng  _ said to give you the last room on the left…” The two walked down to it and Peijing slid the door open. It was a simple area. A single small window had its curtains pulled back, overlooking a back alleyway. The morning sunlight trickled in and highlighted the few furnishings: a double Westen-style bed, a nightstand, and a wardrobe. The bed had no sheets, and Peijing offered to get those - apparently they were upstairs. Ran waited patiently on the mattress.

Peijing came back with some black blankets bundled in her arms. “I don’t think anybody’s used this room in a while. If it’s buggy or dusty, sorry,” Peijing said, dropping the blankets on the naked mattress. Ran didn’t move. She just eyed the covers. “You have no belongings?”

Ran stared quietly in response.

“I’ll take that as a ‘no.’ Well, you don’t need much. Just some more outfits. Lau  _ Xiānshēng  _ probably has extras, but...” Peijing blushed. “I don’t know if they’ll fit. If not, he’ll probably send me to buy some for you. We’ll worry about that later. For now, just get settled. Breakfast is at nine and your shift will start tomorrow at five. Talk to some of the other girls at breakfast, they’ll give you more information. I’ll be upstairs if you need me.”

Peijing was left undisturbed until about eleven, when Ran appeared at her office door with the blankets from earlier. The girl held them out.

“You don’t like them? That’s too bad,” Peijing said unapologetically, but saw Ran shake her head.

“ _ I do not understand _ ,” the girl said. 

“Don’t understand?” Peijing muttered. “What, like how to put them on the bed?”

Ran Mao nodded. “ _The people I used to live with...their bed was different._ ”  
  
Peijing stared incredulously for a moment. “It’s pretty straightforward...are you messing with me?”

Ran stared. Peijing sighed.

“Okay, just give me a moment. I’ll show you…”

This Ran girl was something else. 

* * *

**March 1885**

**Shanghai, Jiangsu, China**

Apart from the bed sheet incident, Ran was good at her new job. Exceptionally good. One wouldn’t think that a quiet, young thing like her would make much of an impact - at least not more than any of the other girls - but she became popular quickly amongst clients. Even if she appeared to not know much Mandarin, Ran did appear to be an expert at the universal language of sex. That girl had some tricks up her sleeves. Lau had no room to complain, even if he was still curious as to why he had to keep her. The girl wasn’t much of an obligation, after all; she spent most of her time quietly in her room. Sometimes she’d be found with the other girls, though she spoke minimally and most of the time seemed to just enjoy being in their presence than actually partaking in any conversation. 

“How did you find her?” Peijing asked Lau one day. They were sitting in their shared office. She was sorting through forged bank statements as he...well, Peijing wasn’t sure what he actually did at his desk. The most work she ever saw him do was find more work for her to do in his name. Her signature was practically his at this point. 

“Business deal.”

“You’ve told me that. But…”

“But?” Lau asked, eyebrow raised. 

Peijing shook her head. Ran had made things strange around the business, at least for her. “Never mind. Forgive me for intruding.” They both went back to their work in silence for a moment, until a little black figure appeared in the windowsill. 

“That cat’s back,” Peijing said. 

“Again?”

“Yes, I’ve seen it three times today.”

“It comes a lot. It just likes to eat whatever food scraps are leftover.”

“I’ve never seen it eat.”

Lau paused. “What are we talking about? A cat, you said?”

“Oh my god, Lau, you never pay attention! Yes, a cat - the one in the window right now!” Peijing said, pointing towards it. He may have glanced over to where she gestured, but his eyes were almost closed and she couldn’t tell. He smiled. “It’s been here a month. You haven’t noticed?”

“Maybe, but I don’t really care about cats,” Lau shrugged. 

Peijing sighed and turned back to her desk. “That Ran girl you brought is catlike...And I  _ know  _ you know who she is.” 

“Catlike?”

“Yes,” Peijing said. “She’s independent, usually observing rather than participating. She seems to like people’s company though, at least occasionally.” She paused. “I can’t read her at all. I’m usually so good at it, but she’s impossible.”  _ And so are you! _ It was on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t say it. No need to give Lau the satisfaction.

“Has she told you anything significant?” Lau asked. 

“No, why?”

“Just wondering,” Lau responded. Peijing saw him reach for his opium pipe and moments later, Peijing got a wiff of the sweet smoke. “I could use some of that myself.”

“Aren’t you working, though?” Lau asked, leaning back in his chair. He closed his eyes and took another deep breath. 

“Aren’t  _ you _ ?” Peijing asked. Lau shrugged and held out the pipe for her. She took it from him and he stood up.  

“I’m going to head downstairs and see how things are going. You can go home whenever you finish that task,” Lau said. Then he left the room.

Peijing looked back to the windowsill. The cat was gone. 

* * *

 

“ _ Bàba! Bàba! Bàba _ !”

Lau didn’t mind children so long as they behaved, but it was always strange to see the little ones running around the Kunlun office. _Especially_ when they all looked like Shen minus the birthmark.  The girl, the perpetrator of the screaming, looked more like her mother thankfully, but she was still Shen's flesh and blood. Disgusting. He wasn’t sure what her name was, or what any of her siblings's names were. All he knew was that there were three of them and were between ages four and eight.

Whatever the case, they tended to position themselves right outside Lau’s office, though this was only because he had the misfortune to be right next to their grandfather’s office thanks to his executive manager position. They were screaming for their father and Lau’s head throbbed.

_ “Bàbaaaaa!” _

He really wanted a smoke.

“Mingxia, quiet, people are working!” Lau heard Shen’s voice scold through the door. Mingxia - so that was her name. He’d probably remember it for a day. Lau rolled his eyes. Spoiled brats. When Lau was seven, he’d known his place. Then again, those kids probably viewed themselves as royalty.

There was a knock on his door from Shen and Lau told him to come in. The door opened and he saw Shen with Mingxia attached onto his leg, giggling. Lau put on a smile to humor the animal and her father. “Yes?”

“My father wants to speak with you," Shen said. 

"Oh? Tell him I'll be right there!" Lau said. He waited for Shen to leave before he bothered to get up himself. It amused him how Shen, who was Zhao _Xiānshēng_ 's son and should have had every advantage, had a position under Lau. Well, that was Shen’s own fault. 

Lau put away his current work and exited the room. The screams became louder and and he saw the kids now playing down the hallway around Shen's office now.  _ Either the kid acts like an adult or you become held back as a child yourself, Shen. You can't have both - that’s your flaw.  _

It wasn’t really a flaw. Lots of people managed to have children and run a company. Head Zhao _Xiānshēng_ himself was the perfect example of that. However, Shen was lacking a certain _something_ that stopped him from getting to the top. Maybe it was the fact that he just expected it to be handed to him on a silver platter, and when it wasn’t he just sulked over it. One could get pretty far on lineage alone, but they couldn’t entirely dominate without their own effort. That’s why this relatively recent superpower England could take over the Eastern world, despite its much more established history. China had expected to succeed eternally just for being _China_ , but it was now falling apart piece by piece. If one just _thought_ about it, they could make the connection.  

_ Ah, a brain! That’s what Shen lacks! _

Lau pulled himself out of his thoughts and went over inside his boss’s office. As usual, he didn’t bother to knock but Zhao didn’t mind. In fact, the old man’s face lit up when he saw Lau. He had two seats pulled up to his desk and he motioned for Lau to have a seat next to another man already there. It was Nicholas Mitchell, the important English merchant and businessman whom Lau had made a point to keep up with throughout the years.

“Hello, sir, it’s good to see you again, Sir Mitchell,” Lau said politely, switching his speech to English. He shook hands and sat down. 

“Thank you, it’s good to see you as well, Mr. Lau,” Mitchell said. “I applaud you both. You’ve managed to keep Kunlun as a top business power in the entirety of China even with yoru people's political unrest. Of course, the UK has been solving that little problem.”

“Couldn’t have done it without working your help,” Zhao said. What precious flattery.

“Thank you. Trust me, we’re glad to be working with you to forever strengthen Kunlun. And by the statistics, it’s working. I think Kunlun will be one of the most influential companies in the world by the turn of the twentieth century. It could have the stamina and influence of Lloyd’s of London one day!” Mitchell exclaimed. He pulled out some charts. It showed the number of sales and profits over the years. “If you look, the sales have only been going up.I don't see a single dip in there."

“Ooh, all these numbers are quite thrilling but...I’ve seen them,” Lau said. “And you know that I know them, and Mr. Zhao knows that I know, and Mr. Zhao knows himself, and you know them yourself, and-”

Zhao  _ Xiānshēng  _ cleared his throat.

“What have you come here to talk about today?” Lau finished.  

“I’m here to talk to you about a new position! A promotion! It’d really be an honor for one of your kind, because it was held by a British man previously,” Mitchell said. He put the papers away again. Maybe he could “wow” Shen with them. “Before I say it, I realize it’s a stretch, but I think it would be more profitable for you in many ways as a businessman. Your English is impeccable, and being that you’re without a wife and children, you’re the prime candidate.” 

“Well now you’ve peaked my interest.”

Mitchell smiled. “I’d like you to work as the head of the British branch of Kunlun! The previous man with the position...he had some unfortunate circumstances, but I think you’ll do much better!” Before Lau could say anything, Mitchell added,  “And don’t worry about your little side business. Zhao told me about that.” Zhao knew vaguely of Lau’s opium den, though only the legal part. For all he knew, it was benefiting Kunlun because Lau made a point to buy some from there legally as a cover-up. “You could easily continue it in England. The British love opium.” 

“I know that,” Lau said. “But you're suggesting I actually move to England?” Lau pictured himself living in England a moment. It was such a funny picture, he had to make an effort not to laugh.

“Yes, you'd live there for the majority of the time.”

“It makes me sad, Lau, I’ll be honest,” Zhao cut in. “But you’re such a wonderful employee around here that I don’t want to hold you back. You’d still be working under Kunlun, though not this branch. Also, thanks to company benefits, it’s agreed that any trip back here would be fully paid for by Kunlun. Of course, it’d be a long journey, but you’d get to visit some.”

“There’s a Chinatown in London! You might know somebody,” Mitchell pointed out. 

“No, I wouldn’t, but that’s not my concern anyway,” Lau told Mitchell. When it came to leaving the country, Lau wasn’t upset. He wasn’t particularly attached to the land or any specific person. He just wondered how it would affect Qing Bang. “I’d want time to think about it.” 

“Don’t fret, you have some time. We’ve got the position covered for now temporarily, anyway,” Mitchell said. “Besides, I’m leaving for Hong Kong to spend a month down there and you don’t have to decide until I’m back. So I’d say you have until about...late April or May? Besides, I know you have work to finish up around here, so that would give you time to close everything up and find somebody new for your position. Of course if you don’t agree, however, no hard feelings. I understand, it’s a big transition and I wouldn’t want to force it upon you. You do wonderful work here, Mr. Lau.”

“And this is personal business so nobody will even know that you’re thinking about leaving until you officially decide,” Zhao added. “If you do.”

“Thank you, this is a very generous offer,” Lau said. “I’d certainly like to hear more about it.” For the sake of his good reputation with Zhao and Mitchell, he was willing to sit through an entire speech about the British branch of Kunlun. Its location, its employees, its sister companies, its mission and motto. 

Truthfully, though, Lau planned to turn the offer down in the end. He had too much to worry about in China, including that quiet Ran girl and those “mythical” swords. Besides, there was no way that Lau would ever agree to go to that freezing wasteland called England.  


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all and thanks for reading! Here's the next part. I'm aiming for ten chapter, so we're reaching the peak now! The LauxRan Mao stuff will come soon, so don't be too concerned about that. Comments are always appreciated, and as usual, please enjoy!

**February 1885**

**Shanghai, Jiangsu, China**

Lau's life continued normally, if not better than normal. His influence in Kunlun only increased by the day, conveniently increasing Qing Bang's hold of the company as well. Somehow Zhao - the man who had control over all of it - stayed painfully ignorant. Maybe it just proved how sneaky Lau really was. Being in charge of a portion of human resources, he could handpick the most efficient employees to help him obtain desired results.

Or maybe Zhao did know deep down and just stayed in some sort of denial.

In contrast, Lau's old friend was openly spiraling downwards. Anyone could tell that Shen wasn't qualified for the high level position in which he held. The mistakes in his work were blatant - he missed too many details for somebody of his supposed experience. The work was sloppy. Even in adulthood, Shen was somebody who just expected things to work out from his namesake alone, even if he never said so in those exact words.

To a degree, Shen wasn't entirely wrong. Given his minimal input, everything did work out nicely for Shen. He wouldn't get fired, for example. His father had to give the final "ok" on any dismissal of an upper board executive. Elder Zhao wasn't going to fire his own son - the heir of the Kunlun throne.

At least that had been assumed by all.

Lau overheard a conversation from elder Zhao's office that possibly debunked this assumption.

"The only thing you've done for this company lately is lose us clientele!'

Elder Zhao spoke angrily. He managed to keep his voice relatively low, but it was apparent that if he had been anywhere but the office, he would have screamed. Lau had been walking to his own office when he heard some sort of angry mutter. Needless to say, this prompted him to wander over and investigate. He hovered by the teak door.

"I've been working just as hard as hard as every other employee here!" Unlike his father, Shen's words rang loud and clear. If Lau hadn't been standing by the door, he still could have heard. Anybody could make out his words within a general radius.

No, Shen hadn't been working hard, but Lau was content with this. The fact that so many of the illegal transactions could be done were thanks to Shen's horrible financial skills.

"Have you ever done anything above and beyond what you're supposed to do?" Zhao snapped back. His voice was rising too, and Lau could tell this was a common argument - both Zhaos were probably exhausted from it. "You do exactly what you have to - the bare minimum! I give you less than any of the other people here, but that doesn't mean I expect less. I want you to be better! I need you to be, considering you're the next one in line to take over Kunlun! I'm only getting older and I can't do this forever."

"I've been here longer than anybody besides you; I know what to do." Words spoken by the sole worker of Kunlun who hadn't even had to prove himself for the position. He was a prime example that being handed life on a silver platter was not such a lucky gift.

 _Meow_.

Lau glanced down. In the hallway was that little, black cat with those big, amber eyes. The thing had followed Lau to the office for about a week now. At first Lau hadn't even noticed, but then he finally matched it the cat he saw around _Lóng de tóu_.

...Of course, he didn't always remember what he saw at _Lóng de tóu_.

The cat's ears were perked up in high alert as it stared at the door, as if it was listening into the conversation too. Seeing that Lau had turned around to look at it, the thing shifted its gaze towards him.

Zhao's voice continued to grow louder behind the door. "...in fact, the only thing you seem capable of doing is sitting around and complaining all day like a child! Do you act like this to your wife, too? To the Szeto family? All it will do is bring about disgrace-"

As enjoyable as the conversation was, Lau had to turn his attention away again as a man in the hallway came up to him. "Boss?"

This one much less annoying that Shen in all matters concerning work. This one didn't question the obvious sight of Lau listening into the Zhao intervention. Unlike Shen, this man knew his place.

"Here you go, boss," he continued. "Information concerning…" He paused and glanced at Zhao's door. "...special items on the last shipment."

Lau stepped away from the door and smiled. "Perfect." He flipped through the papers. "Very profitable! Tell Siyu _Xiānshēng_ that he did good. We should see the benefits soon. Meanwhile I'll make it presentable for Shen's strict scrutiny!" He laughed and patted the man on the shoulder before returning to his office.

He worked on those papers along with whatever other odd jobs had to be done for awhile. He only paused when he heard Shen's booming voice from outside.

"How the hell is there a cat in here again?"

That little meeting must have ended and it left Shen in a-more-sour-than-usual mood.

Lau stood up to close his door. He saw Shen chasing the cat down the hallway. It was an amusing sight, especially since the cat was winning that game.

"Sorry Shen, that cat follows me here sometimes!" Lau smiled, knowing it would just make Shen implode.

Shen stopped trying to case it.

"So it's _yours_?" Shen asked, frowning. "It lives at that shithole of yours? On the other side of the city?"

"I guess so!" Lau shrugged.

"Whatever you do there isn't legal, I swear," Shen muttered, and Lau wondered if Shen actually caught something wrong in his paperwork. He'd have to check that as soon as work ended. He had a file of all recent transactions in his desk at _Lóng de tóu._

Luckily, Shen continued on the subject of the cat.

"Why don't you make it go outside?"

Lau shrugged. "I do human resources, not animal resources. Besides, you're the one trying to catch it! I suppose that makes it your responsibility!"

The cat hissed at Shen and ran the opposite direction, this time towards Lau. It scat past his feet and into his office. Lau laughed while Shen fumed.

"Look, I don't care if that thing is inside, but keep it locked away for the next hour, okay? I have clients coming," Shen said.

"Oh, you're giving me orders?" Lau teased. Shen's facial expression looked ready to murder him (Lau knew that expression well - not on Shen specifically, but in general), but Shen said nothing. Apart from big Zhao, the only technical one with any power of Shen was Lau. This was a big insult. "Just kidding, I'll keep it in here until your people leave!"

"Thank you," Shen begrudgingly said.

Lau closed the door to his office. Shen didn't have much faith in Lau as a person anymore, but he knew he'd do his job. Lau would keep the cat in there until he could manage to take it outside discreetly. Besides, Lau didn't want Shen to fail - as Shen's father had said, impressions were everything and everyone had to look good for the whole company to benefit. Shen needed to calm down before seeing those clients. That man was unknowingly a representative of Qing Bang. Unless if he did know. Lau needed to check those files.

Lau had found that the best way to clear one's mind, apart from drugs, was turning towards total apathy. Discarding the files and Shen from his mind for the time being, Lau turned back to his work. He saw the cat was sitting on his desk. It had somehow not managed to knock any paperwork over, but it was staring at the piles of papers.

Lau didn't care and joined the feline at the desk.

* * *

It had been a long day in _Lóng de tóu_ 's office, at least for Peijing. She didn't particularly mind the overtime. She was working efficiently and she wanted to finish whatever she could. In fact, she was just about to be done with her paperwork when Lau barged through the door, unexpectedly early. Startled, her papers went flying.

That man really needed to learn how to knock.

"Come in," she muttered, reaching down to pick the unorganized papers up. Lau gave something of a half apology and immediately went over to his desk. "You're here sooner than usual." Peijing didn't bother to make herself sound particularly happy to see him. She enjoyed her alone time. "You usually spend longer at Kunlun."

"Don't worry yourself, little flower, this has nothing to do with you," Lau said. He rummaged through piles of paper in his drawers. Peijing watched.

"Are you looking for something in particular?" she finally asked. "I do basically all your paperwork so I probably have it."

"Oh no, not this," Lau said with a smile. He pulled out a single folder. He started to open it, glanced at Peijing, then closed it back up. "I just need to check something myself."

Peijing blinked. "Okay then." She wouldn't question him if he found what he wanted. He'd leave sooner.

Lau headed back towards the door, but turned around again. "By the way, that cat followed me to the office again."

"Again?"

"It's done it a few times."

"Wait, the cat followed you all the way to work? That's a long distance," Peijing said. "Maybe it wants to get into the trading business."

Lau chuckled. "It could just stay here for that." Peijing noticed him pressing the folder to his chest a bit tighter. "Well, I'll be off now-"

Lau reached over to open the door but it slide open first. On the other side stood Ran. Not abnormally, she was completely naked. In her arms, she held bed sheets.

"Oh, hi, Ran _Xiăojiě_!" Lau said, unphased by her complete nudity. Peijing clutched her desk.

Ran nodded in acknowledgement.

"What's this?" Lau asked, motioning towards the blankets.

Ran looked at Peijing.

Peijing felt the blood rush up to her face. "She..She needs help making her bed."

Lau stared a moment with a look of amused astonishment. "Oh?" A smirk broke out on his face. "Well, I won't bother you two!"

"No, it's not...she literally does not know how to make a bed, Lau _Xiānshēng_!" Peijing said desperately, but Lau wasn't paying attention anymore. "You listen to me-"

"Well, you girls have fun, but finish before the place opens, okay?" he said, and was already walking out of the office and to his own room - a place where basically every _Lóng de tóu_ employee apart from Ran and Peijing had been at least a few times.

He did stop and whisper something to Ran, but Peijing couldn't make out what it was.

Once Lau was out of sight, Ran walked over to Peijing and placed the sheets into her lap. Peijing hoped her cheeks weren't as red as they felt. Sitting, Peijing's eyes were about level with the prostitute's breasts. They were perfectly rounded and identical, without a single stretch mark to be seen on her pale skin. Peijing's eyes traced a few of the faintly visible veins. For whatever reason, these attracted her. It made Ran seem so much more human - so much more attainable. Peijing's eyes drifted downwards, past the girl's stomach. Her hips widened again, and below that…

Peijing quickly shifted her gaze to the blankets which were now in her lap.

" _Help me_?" Ran asked, in that strange voice of hers, as she leaned forward. Peijing's face was inches away from Ran's. The girl smelled like all the others - cheap perfume - but something about Ran's scent was more alluring.

"O-okay," Peijing said. "Watch carefully, because you need to learn."

Ran nodded and followed Peijing downstairs and down the corridor to her given room. Unlike many of the girls' rooms, it had no decor whatsoever, yet it still managed to be the hot spot of the night. Peijing went over to the bed and started putting on the sheets.

"You literally just throw them on. The thin goes one on bottom and the thick one on top. Then fold them back for the pillows."

Ran nodded. She stood awfully close, watching Peijing closely. Her eyes were quite large. They were a color that Peijing had never seen on another human being. In fact, their color was the same as the color that she had seen on...

Peijing's train of thought was broken when Ran placed her hand on Peijing's arm. She said, " _Xièxiè_ , _I will try now_."

Without thinking, Peijing leaned towards Ran. Ran didn't jerk away, so Peijing planted her lips onto Ran's. The kiss was soft and sweet - gentle but confident. There was a sweet taste lingering on the girl's lips. Peijing traced her hands down Ran's arms lightly. When she noticed that Ran didn't back down- Peijing moved them to her hips.

They broke away momentarily, but Peijing fervently, without thinking, kissed her again, this time with more passion. She placed her hands on Ran's body. Her skin was smooth and warm. In return, Ran gently sat Peijing on the bed and ran her fingers up Peijing's thigh, underneath her clothing and to her hips. Peijing brought her hands up towards the girl's breasts.

Peijing leaned back onto the bed, her back against the neat blankets she had just fixed. Ran climbed on top of her (What was it about her eyes that made Peijing think of an animal a few moments ago?), like an animal, and started to kiss down her neck. She played with the fabrics of Peijing's qipao and started to pull it away. Both of the females' chests were entirely exposed, and they pressed against each other.

Ran moved her fingers down Peijing's front and stopped right under her belly button, where the qipao remained. Ran looked up at Peijing for acceptance. Peijing was breathing heavily.

"You're completely serious?" Peijing asked in a whisper.

" _Serious?_ " Ran asked. She tilted her head. " _You started it so I went along. It does not mean anything._ "

Peijing paused. "So you don't feel…?"

Ran blinked and tilted her head, appearing honestly confused. " _I do not care either way. If it is what you want, I will do it._ "

"What I want…" Peijing sighed. Her fingertips still lingered on Ran's chest, but she hesitated. "I don't know." Her mind went back to her days of being nothing more than Ran - a used prostitute - and she suddenly felt a little sick. "But it means nothing to you?"

" _No_ ," Ran simply said.

"But just today, you don't mind…"

Ran clutched her hands onto what was left of Peijing's clothes. " _I do not mind._ "

Peijing looked intently at Ran. Those eyes, those eyes were so familiar…

She didn't want to think about that.

As a response, she kissed Ran again.

* * *

 _Lóng de tóu_ was a place of warmth. It trapped the heat inside better than any place with even the finest insulation, whether it be from the tight spaces, the body heat, or the smoke. Every time spent at _Lóng de tóu_ was a summer's night - short, hot, fun, and probably insignificant.

Lóng de tóu was a place of filth. It was filled with uncleaned people, hobbling in with the last of their coins, begging with their grubby hands for a smoke, a drink, a girl. Criminals lurked in the corners, making business deals that would never go public. There were murderers, thieves, drunks. There were high society CEO's, fathers, and politicians. Each and every person was brought together in that muggy hole-in-the-wall, surrounded by each other's smoke, sweat, testosterone, and vomit.

 _Lóng de tóu_ was a place of women. Curvy ladies with golden bracelets and necklaces lead men the rooms for a night they'd never remember. Tall girls dressed in lightweight, flowing fabrics that served as a boundary between them and their clients - see-through fabrics, playfully teasing the men until they bought the right to tear through it. Short damsels painted with make-up and adorned in jade, whispering sweet nothings to those who felt like they had everything.

 _Lóng de tóu_ was a place of dreams. It was where people went to forget dreams. It was a place where some forgot what a dream even was. It was a place where one could allow themselves to enter a state where all dreams were a reality, and reality was nothing more than a dream. It was a place where some would wander in as boys and exit as men - at least by society's standards.

 _Lóng de tóu_ was a place of fire. Fire from the pipes. Fire from the candles lighting the rooms. Fire from the unexpected…

He who plays with fire may become its victim, after all.

It was a Friday night and the den was full of customers. Some were passed out in the corners, others occupied with the girls, others gathered around tables sharing a good time with drinks served by Lau's girls. Lau himself sat in the back at a table, observing it all as a king would his kingdom.

A burly man came up to Lau and sat at the empty chair across from him. He gave an cold smile. "I see you're doing well, Lau _Xiānshēng_."

Lau recognized this man immediately. His name was Wu Guotin - or something like that, Lau didn't really care to remember - and he was an influential head of an organization Lau onlyk new too well. Sun Yee On. "How did you find this place?"

"That's no way to greet someone!" Wu said, falsely insulted. Lau glowered. "It only took a little asking around. You don't give us enough credit."

"I don't give you any."

Wu sighed. "Oh, I figured as much. If I'm so obvious, then, you must know why I'm here."

"Not for the reason most are here, I presume?"

"Oh no, but seeing the tits on that one girl over there, maybe I'll stick around."

Lau frowned. "You're not welcome with any of my girls, so why don't you just go fuck yourself instead?"

Wu flashed a cold smile on his face. "Calm down, Lau _Xiānshēng_ , I'm not here to fight. Though…" He pulled out a revolver from underneath his changsan and held it tightly. "If I must, I will. This place is surrounded as well, so if you try anything, you won't get very far. Also I don't think your customers would appreciate it very much."

Lau eyed the pistol. "What is it that you want?"

"Don't play dumb. I just ask that you hand it over."

"...hand _what_ over?" Lau had no idea what this "it" was. Though he would never admit it to anybody, this concerned him a little. He was the only one in the premise who could hold a fight. The place being surrounded could have been all talk, but if there was really a larger number…

"Clarify," Lau said calmly, though sternly.

"You don't know? You're that high already? I thought I came early enough...alright, I'll rephrase. Should I say 'who,' then?" This was Wu's only response, and from the tone of his voice, the last hint he'd give.

 _Who_? Qing Bang had smuggled many things and admittedly had reaped profits from Sun Yee On, Lau couldn't think of a person that they had taken - or at least not one that would be alive - that Sun Yee On would go out of their way so much to take back. His heart rate was increasing continually, and for once not from a drug. He needed to buy time. If he could just keep the conversation going...

"If it's about those swords, then I can honestly say that I have no idea," Lau said.

That was obviously the wrong thing to say, because Wu's face suddenly became outwardly angry.

"I _know_ you don't have the swords," he retorted. "There are twenty of us here, each armed and at the sound of this gun, ready to come in and find the _bakeneko_! We won't spare anybody if it comes to it. So I'll ask you one more time, where is she? With the rest of your girls?"

Bakeneko? Why did that word ring a bell? And who was _she_? Lau had handpicked each and every one of his girls, none of them with any relation to gangs apart from his own. In fact, the only one he wasn't entirely sure about was…

Wu aimed the pistol towards the ceiling and fired a shot as a warning. It echoed throughout the den. _Most_ of the customers noticed. There were screams. Some stood rooted to their spot, but others made their way towards the door. They were barred in by a wall of armed men.

And then there was a loud crack. Wu's head twisted to the side in a disturbingly unnatural angle. Lau saw skinny fingers clawing into the skin of Wu's neck. Blood began to seep out. The gun Wu held loosened and fell to the ground with a thud, shortly followed by his decapitated body. Lau stared, eyes widening, as the attacker stood behind him. In her hands, she held Wu's head. She dropped it on the floor besides its body. The blood splattered.

Ran looked up at him. Her eyes were in slits - close to cat eyes - and they had no look of fear or disgust in them. Her pink qipao was splattered dark red. She said, " _I already alerted the girls and they are using the emergency exit upstairs to escape. We must fight._ "

Lau wasn't entirely sure how to react. The violent act itself didn't phase him, but he wasn't used to little girls decapitating grown men with a single, emotionless gesture consisting of their bare hands.

Lau stared in silence and watched as Ran picked up the gun, which was dripping in blood. She held it out to him. "You know how to use this, yes?"

"Yes," Lau repeated. He took it from her. It was heavier than it seemed.

" _Good, and you can use the sword you keep under that floorboard behind you as well._ "

Lau didn't question how she figured out it was there. This was the most she'd spoken to him ever. Her voice was oddly memorizing, and he couldn't even say no to her if he had wanted to do so.

The guards up front noticed the decapitation and swiftly made their way towards Lau and Ran. The people scurried around them and started flocking out of the door. With the commotion, many of the pairs from upstairs started to come down and get out as well.

Lau reached behind him and pulled out the sword.

Lau was ready to fight, yet as they surrounded Ran, it appeared to be oddly fair. They'd come after her, initially one by one, and she'd manage to ward them off - either by ducking, punching, or kicking. She moved faster and faster with each jump, each spin, each hit. Gunshots were fired, by she managed to avoid each one.

Those who weren't focused on Ran confronted Lau, but he had his own training with the sword. The Sun Yee On members were well trained, and it took Lau's full concentration to keep up with the man's blows. He managed to succeed, and they collapsed. Perhaps they were not dead, but close enough.

That's when the fire started from the other side of the empty room. Who had started it or why, Lau didn't know, but it unnerved him. It caught on the carpets and spread quickly, hurting some of Sun Yee On's own men in the process, but successfully shrinking Ran's working room.

Lau felt a sharp pain through his left arm. Lau heard the sword drop, though for a split second he couldn't process anything. He vaguely heard the bones of whoever had stabbed him break and there was a body next to him on the floor. The heat increased as the flames spread. They began to engulf the body on the floor.

" _Come_." Lau felt a hand grip his good arm and pull him in the opposite direction. His legs moved automatically. He heard the screams of the few living men behind him, immobilized but conscious and able to feel the pain of their wounds. These were both customers and Sun Yee On's men. Lau looked ahead and saw Ran pulling him the other way, towards the front door - a little girl in a pink qipao, clutching him as they ran from a battlezone.

_Gunshots, screaming, fire crackling, a thud of a body falling to the ground._

Memories of that place - a city long ago that was nothing more than a fading nightmare - resurfaced in his mind.

_The lifeless form of his little sister, laying as a heap on the hard stone road, engraved into his mind forever. That blackish color as the blood mixed with the light pink fabrics on the back of a qipao. The high pitched shriek of a woman._

_**Run!** _

Lau stumbled, though Ran was strong enough to keep him upright and make him continue running. His mind was static, butlike all those years ago, he kept up automatically. Out the entrance. Down the street. They ran non-stop and Ran lead him down an alleyway. It lead them behind the buildings and towards the direction where the other girls would be. Luckily, they had come up with a meeting spot in case of emergency previously, though the wish had been that they would never actually have to meet up there.

Meanwhile his new home - his new Canton - burned to the ground.

* * *

Despite all that had happened, Lau's main concern was opium. He wanted it. He needed it. However, in the meantime, Ran had given Lau her qipao to stop the bleeding in his arm. She walked alongside the group on the way to Lau's apartment. Due to her recently discovered supernatural abilities, Ran was sent to speedily contact the Qing Bang medic and Soo.

Opium, opium, opium…

The medic granted Lau's wish, and it made getting stitches on his arm wound a little better. The pain hadn't been anything to the godawful flashbacks, or even the following craving for his crutch, the drug.

According to the medic, the cut hadn't been very deep. It wasn't particularly threatening since the blood loss hadn't been substantial. Perhaps Lau should thank Ran for her qipao, which was now laying in a crusty clump on the floor, stained a sickeningly blackish color. The lasting affect of the cut was that it would undoubtedly leave a scar.

"I don't mind," Lau had said to the medic, only half in his mind. "That's what tattoos are for..."

The girls had settled into Lau's place. He would rebuild _Lóng de tóu_ , but first he had no understand why the original had been a target.

Ran had also stopped by to visit Peijing and break the news to her. She went with Ran back to Lau's apartment to see what was happening. Lau shrugged.

"Ran's a hero, Peijing!" Lau exclaimed, in his typical nonchalant way. His appearance changed for a moment though, and in a somewhat peeved tone, he added, "And I have no _fucking_ idea how."

Peijing appeared to have no opinion.

Later, Lau and Ran waited in the common area for Soo to come by. Apparently he would explain everything.

Lau had already tried drilling Ran with questions as they waited, but it didn't get very far.

"Why did Soo _Xiānshēng_ make me take you in?" Lau asked.

" _He wants me here. Not with Sun Yee On,_ " Ran answered.

"Why did you agree to help Qing Bang and not Sun Yee On?"

Ran paused. He wondered if she was even helping them.

She was wearing some robes now. They were men's clothing - his clothes - and they fit her horribly. Overall, it was much too big and the sleeves and pants had to be cuffed. Contrarily, on certain parts of her body, the cloth was bursting at the seam. Unlike how she looked hours ago fighting Sun Yee On, in this situation Ran appeared to be nothing more than just an awkward girl in ill-fitting attire.

" _You have treated me well. I am indebted._ " She finally spoke, emphasizing the "you."

"Me alone? Soo _Xiānshēng_ thinks you're helping Qing Bang."

" _And he will keep thinking that_ ," Ran stated. There was no question about it. After seeing her rip apart men earlier, Lau wasn't going to dare argue it.

Neither of them spoke a moment. She just stared at him, with those big amber eyes…

Lau tried another approach. "How do you connect with the swords?" She must have connected, somehow.

" _I will tell you when Soo_ Xiānshēng _arrives_." So she did connect somehow.

They sat in silence until Soo came.

The three of them sat in a circle. It could have almost seemed casual, just like inviting over friends, if it hadn't been for all those _damn_ secrets.

On Soo's queue, Ran revealed her identity.

" _I am a bakeneko_."

That word again. Lau strained to remember why it sounded familiar.

Shen's words popped into Lau's head. It had been decades ago, all the way back to his childhood, but the basic idea remained in memory:

 _"There are stories of these creatures called_ bakenekos _. They're cat spirits that can transform into a human! They trick people into thinking they're normal, but then they can kill without any second thoughts. They're monsters."_

What Ran had done had shown powers beyond that of a human, but…

"Really, what are you?" Lau asked.

Ran tilted her head. " _What do you mean? I am being sincere. Do you not know what a_ bakeneko _is?_ "

"Yes, that's exactly why I asked again."

"She's telling the truth," Soo confirmed.

" _Since the swords are connected with the spirit world, they have a special connection to me_ ," Ran added.

Lau glanced between the two of them, looking for any sign of untruthfulness in their faces. They both looked entirely serious.

Lau hated secrets. He only liked them when he was involved.

"How do you explain what you saw otherwise?" Soo pointed out.

Lau shrugged. "Training."

"Training for…?"

"I don't know, you tell me," Lau said. He eyed Soo a moment. They were all silent. It would have been terribly awkward if Lau ever felt enough shame to feel uncomfortable.

" _I was feline_ ," Ran said. " _But I lived a long life. I was rewarded._ "

Opium would be a nice reward after sitting through this conversation, Lau mused

"We wanted her with you for multiple reasons," Soo explained to Lau. He cleared his throat. Lau just watched. "Since you...were not aware of her nature, there was a much lower chance of it being exposed. She could blend in with the other girls. I figured Sun Yee On would discover the headquarters or a house before they looked into _Lóng de tóu_ among prostitutes and drug addicts for a magical being." Soo paused. "It's unknown how they discovered _Lóng de tóu_ 's location but I already have people looking into that, as I assume you will too."

"I plan on finding the culprit," Lau assured. "Does Sun Yee On have the swords?"

"We're not sure," Soo admitted. "If they don't have it, then they could want Ran under their power to find them through her connection."

" _But then they would be wrong. I cannot sense location and I would not help_ ," Ran said.

"The idea would be that they have two powerful, supernatural beings on their side," Soo said. "The order doesn't matter as long as they get both in the end."

For somebody with so much power, Lau felt incredibly helpless. He felt cheated out of so much knowledge, and surely this crazy talk of magical beings and swords couldn't be real. It just had to be excuses for some bigger picture. Horrible excuses, but excuses nonetheless. He hated being put down. He hated feeling powerless. He had worked too hard to stay on top of everything, and yet he felt like he knew nothing.

"Do you have proof? Of any of this?" Lau questioned. He found himself both wanting to believe and not.

Soo looked at Ran. "Show him?"

After seeing one of his prostitutes change into the little black cat, Lau had to leave and go take a _very_ long smoke.

* * *

Soo _Xiānshēng_ excused himself, declaring the meeting adjourned. Ran transferred back into her human form and promised him that she would stay away from Sun Yee On. The idea was that Sun Yee On would not attack again after the last brutal murder, and maybe for the time being they would be content with the sword alone - _if_ it was in their possession. Lau could rebuild his whorehouse and there would be more security in case of a second attack. But again, that was deemed unlikely. There would be searches to get revenge on Sun Yee On, though main priority was to find the swords quickly - even use them to take out Sun Yee On if need be.

Of course, this would all have to be retold to Lau whenever he sobered from whatever he had done after seeing Ran transform for the first time.

The next day, despite his horrible headache, Lau had regained his composure enough to listen as Ran told him what Soo had told her. He agreed because he was determined to bring down Sun Yee On now - and if those swords were one of the keys for doing that, he'd be damned if he didn't get them.

Though he was slightly annoyed at the fact that Soo and the Head Dragon had kept so much from him, Lau had accepted the truth easier than most. Why couldn't there be mythical creatures out there? Nothing else in the damned world made sense anyway!

"Who would have thought that you're just a little black cat," Lau said. "Hmm, well blue under certain lighting. I suppose that why they call you Ran. You're a blue cat... _Ran Mao_! I like the sound of that; it'll stick with the customers too when we open back up. Do you like that?"

The girl gave a small smile and nodded. She became Ran Mao.

A few days passed and nothing happened. Lau went back to Kunlun but used every trade connection he had to keep an eye out for the swords while simultaneously tying up any financial ends with his burnt business. From what Lau could tell, everyone at Kunlun who was not in Qing Bang already thought that the fire had been caused by some angry, drunk customers.

Lau did end up going back to the remains of _Lóng de tóu_ to scavenge for whatever was left shortly after the fire, however. When a business had certain underlying purposes, it wasn't good to leave any proof lying around.

Ran Mao came with him, mainly because she had started following him everywhere anyway.

 _Lóng de tóu_ was never anything grand, but now it was especially empty - black walls and floors, ashes of rugs and couches which were half left at most. Apparently some members of Qing Bang working as officials had taken care of the corpses, thankfully.

"We could probably get _Lóng de tóu_ open again relatively soon. The infrastructure still seems to be holding fine," Lau commented, but glanced for Ran Mao for reassurance. She nodded in agreement, so they continued walking up the stairs and to the third floor for the office on the premise that the building wouldn't collapse at any given moment.

The top floor wasn't particularly damaged. Ran sat on the desk as Lau plundered through the drawers, putting everything into a bag he'd brought. Luckily, no papers had been damaged - or stolen.

"Now that _that's_ off my mind," Lau declared. "We can focus on getting those swords."

" _I have to talk to you about that_ ," Ran Mao said.

Lau turned around from the remains of his desk and looked out Ran Mao intently. "What is it, Kitten?"

" _As you know,_ _Soo_ Xiānshēng _thinks Sun Yee On wants me as an individual supernatural entity with a connection to the swords in the sense that we are both supernatural and from the same house_ ," Ran Mao said.

"Right, you and then the swords," Lau said. It didn't really feel strange to seriously refer to something as "magic" anymore. He just stopped caring about the fact that they existed - even if he was a little angry that it had been kept secret for so long. "But?"

" _The swords are connected to me more than just that,_ " Ran continued.

"Go on."

" _The swords can control me_ ," Ran Mao said. " _If a member was to slash me with one of the swords, I would be in their control. The swords have the power to do that with any supernatural being. My cat form could be permanent_."

Lau didn't question how many supernatural beings must have existed. "You, a little cat, going around and killing people?"

" _I would not be 'little' anymore. I would be bigger. I would become more deadly._ "

Lau nodded slowly. "So this must mean that they don't have the swords yet, or they would have brought it to fight."

" _No_ ," Ran Mao shook her head. " _They would want to cut me after they have me tied down because if I get the sword before they cut me, then I have the power._ "

Lau smiled. He had a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "So if you get those swords, we've won."

Ran Mao walked up to Lau and looked at him straight in the eyes. " _I cannot have the swords. We must take them, but I cannot yield them._ "

"Why is that, Kitten?"

She hesitated. " _They need to be gotten rid of entirely, placed in a spot where no humans will find them for a long time._ "

Lau frowned. "Why?"

" _These swords have more power than you know,_ " she said. " _Alone, the swords were peaceful, but humanity started to mingle in their affairs recently and that is dangerous. People always want power, but power should not always be for people. My past owners_ _were given the sword by a spirit named Chi. The one who avenged his father in the legendary story. It was safe there because they would not want the power. However this was just adding fuel to the fire, because of course once the word got out, the swords were abducted by thieves._ "

Who were murdered, if Lau recalled correctly. Did Ran Mao do that?

" _If used by the right person for the wrong intention, it could cause chaos._ " She looked at him intently. " _I tell you this because I have come to trust you. You treated all the girls and me well. I know you care. I think you will be a good help. You are my owner now and I trust you."_

Lau was silent a moment. Then, quietly, he said, "My whole life has been fueled by chaos, Kitten. It brings me customers. Without pain, people don't need my services. Suffering is good for me. Why do I care if there's chaos?"

Ran reached out and clutched Lau's hand. It took him off guard. She focused intently on him and spoke very clearly. " _No, Lau_ Xiānshēng _, you do not understand. This is bigger than the chaos you know. If the Gan Jiang and Mo Ye Swords are in the wrong hands, it could lead to a world war._ "


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are getting really close to the end guys! Again, thanks so much for your support as you deal with me and my terribly slow updates. Now that it's summer vacation I'm hoping to finish it all before college starts back up again. Enjoy!

 

**March - April 1885**

**Shanghai, Jiangsu, China**

As _Long de tou_ was being rebuilt, Lau stayed busy. Of course, looking at him, one would think he was doing absolutely nothing with his time . He always appeared to just be lounging about aimlessly, but Ran Mao knew that the man was constantly orchestrating plans in his head. These were specifically centered around Sun Yee On, the swords, and the mysterious person who had sold him and his business out the night of the fire. Needless to say, Lau had assigned various members of Qing Bang to look into the problem. He always took advantage of his connections - the man had eyes and ears for him in all facets of life.

While his men were out investigating, Lau spent most of his time at Kunlun. He continued to find ways to still make an illegal profit for himself without _Long de tou_ at his disposal. It was possible, but _Long de tou_ had been much easier for making a profit considering he was his own boss there. While Kunlun was almost entirely corrupted, it was still a respected business and certain procedures had to be followed.

Lau traveled back to his beloved club occasionally to check on the renovations. The building was mainly damaged on the inside, so it wasn't a long process. Ran Mao would always go with him either in cat or human form depending on the situation.

“It’s not bad having somebody by your side who can tear apart one’s enemies in the blink of an eye,” Lau told her.

Ran Mao sensed that he actually enjoyed her company.

She enjoyed his company as well. To Ran Mao, Lau was the perfect human. To her he’d given her first real home since her time with the old couple. He’d given her a sense of hope to get the swords to safety. He’d given her a master. The least she could do in return was to give herself to him at night.

The first time it had happened, Lau wasn’t sober. He’d branched out from opium that night, and whatever this different intoxicant was seemed to heightened his senses. He seemed particularly interested in her. The two of them were alone in the office of the almost finished  _Long de tou_ one night. It was one of the least damaged rooms being that it was on the third floor, along with his bedroom, so they had started spending more time there again. He opened up a little more than usual that time - at least in his own way.

“There’s an old proverb for this situation we’re in. ‘If an enemy is annoying you by playing well, consider adopting his strategy.’ They had to have a special someone to rat me out, to try to take you. Well, now I have a special someone. You’re my key player and...” Lau then paused, eyes now focused on her chest. “...oh, what am I talking about?”

Ran Mao sensed his feelings and didn’t hesitate to go along with exactly what he hoped for. She closed the gap between them, running her fingers up and down his spine.

Lau cupped her chin and stroked her cheek with his thumb. She was practically purring - or maybe, given her being, she actually was. “I swear,” Lau said. “I am going to do everything do find those swords for you. If others must die for its sake, so be it…”

Somehow, that had ended with his mouth pressed against hers passionately, borderline sloppily, in his fervent state of mind.

They moved to his bedroom. Ran Mao had been with Lau almost everywhere lately, except that room. She’d never actually been there before. It was the biggest out of all the rooms in _Long de tou_ , decorated in an eclectic mix of Western and Eastern styled furniture. His bed, in the center, was traditionally Chinese, with a large painted map of London ironically  looming over it.

“It was a gift,” Lau explained, not hesitating to get onto the bed with Ran Mao by his side. “From some ambassador over there. I hate that country, but they say keep your friends close, and your enemies closer...but I’ll break that rule tonight…”

His hands were already tracing down the curves of her back, greedily pulling at the seams of her qipao.  She helped him take it off, just as she had done with so many other clients so many nights before. Though there was something different this time. He was her master, and not just for the night, so she had chosen to love him specially over all the others. Not being human herself, she wasn’t overly concerned with his faults as a person. In her mind, there were none. 

His lips eagerly pressed against hers again. He moved down her neck; she bent it the other direction to go along with his actions. She felt his teeth brush across and then bear down into her skin.

  
The last of their clothes had come off. He started leaning over her, but she wasn't going to play submissive. She shifted her own position, guiding him underneath her own grip. She spread her legs, his hips positioned between them. She had her hands placed on his chest, grip tightening around. She let out a soft moan and she felt his muscles tighten around her. Her nostrils were filled with the scents of sweat and the ever-looming poppy plant.

  
Afterwards, Ran Mao enjoyed being curled up next to her master (as a human, of course) under the blankets. It was a cold night, and the heat radiating from his body and hers together, trapped under those sheets, made it feel as warm as a summer's day in Canton.

He had his hand resting on the small of her back. She rested her head against his chest, listening to the steady sound of his heartbeat. To his constant inhales and exhales of breath. She found comfort in the sweet nothings he’d whisper into her ear. She enjoyed the way he stroked her gently, comfortingly, until he fell asleep himself at her side.

Though tired herself, she stayed up a few moments longer, taking in the calm. Despite his outward nonchalant appearance, Ran Mao knew that Lau was never actually at peace with the way things were. Of course, he appeared fine when he was inebriated, but that wasn’t _him_. He was as much of a child as Shen in some ways - living in a world of emotions stunted at youth. Asleep was about the only time when nothing seemed to bother him. So she’d cherish that.

  
The next day came and Lau had sobered up. His thoughts about Ran Mao didn’t change.

“I can see why you’re so popular with the clients,” he’d said.

Their relationship only grew as they spent more time together. Ran Mao was clingy towards her master, and Lau didn’t seem to mind always having a girl there for his pleasure. Ran Mao stopped seeing customers, and become Lau’s right hand girl. She spent nights in his room, which she liked.

And of course she meant more to him than just a sex toy or a protector. That’s why he opened up to her. She wouldn’t “leave” like everybody else. She couldn’t easily be killed and her bakeneko instincts had practically imprinted herself onto Lau. It gave his childlike self somebody to cling on to, and that somebody was guaranteed to stay. He could put his trust in her more than he could with anybody else.

And knowing most of Lau’s acquaintances, Ran Mao thought that she was about the only one he _should_ trust.

* * *

Lau got a tattoo. It was over the scar from the fight in _Long de Tou_. The art was a blue and green dragon, coiled around his arm.

“It’s a Panlong,” Lau said back at his room at Long de tou. “The aquatic dragon.”

“ _Like the Qing Bang office_ ,” Ran Mao said.

“Yes, but it’s symbolic for the waters in general.” Lau fished around for his opium pipe. “The waters are my specialty. The Head Dragon knows that.”

“ _I have only seen the Head Dragon once. When I first agreed to help Qing Bang_ ,” Ran Mao commented.

“Not many people even get that chance,” said Lau. “I don’t speak to him often, but he shows up for what really matters.” Lau grabbed the pipe and started to light it. “He really is like a dragon himself. Always watching but rarely seen…”

Ran Mao watched Lau take a wiff of smoke. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. She sat herself on his lap and leaned her head against his chest, listening to his breathing become slower and more relaxed. She was never affected by the smoke herself - intoxicants never worked on her. She just liked the comfort and warmth of being around her master.

* * *

The culprit who had ratted out _Long de tou_ was found.

He hadn’t been particularly hard to find, apparently, though he supposedly had no gang affiliation - other than helping Sun Yee On that one time.

Before daybreak, the perpetrator was taken to a warehouse. He had been knocked unconscious by two thugs of Qing Bang. Their names were Toh _Xiānshēng_ and Jiang _Xiānshēng_. They had been the ones to track him down and capture him. By knocking him out and tying his limbs and mouth with handkerchiefs, they could easily hide him in a covered cart for transportation across town to the outskirts. This was where they were to meet the higher ups of Qing Bang and start the man’s interrogation without being noticed by anyone else.   

The warehouse had originally been a push for development by a smaller trading company, aiming to mimic Europe’s industrialization. Of course, that failed and the trading company went bankrupt. Lau later found it and purchased the unit for Kunlun. He was the one in charge of it, so it had been converted into a hub for Qing Bang. Being technical property of Kunlun, the Municipal Court left it alone entirely.

For this specific interrogation, only a few select members of Qing Bang were present. Needless to say, Lau attended. He was told to come at once by one of Soo’s henchmen. He’d brought Ran Mao with him as usual. She latched onto his left arm, running her hands up and down the tattooed dragon underneath his sleeves.

Soo had come to the interrogation. Soo had still not found the situation worthy to come, but he had sent his right hand man to lead the questioning and decide for himself what the situation required. Though a prominent figure, Soo looked none too happy at being involved at such an early time in the morning.

  
“I hope that bastard has low pain tolerance,” Soo seethed.

  
Lau laughed. “I’m sure someone with even high pain tolerance would be miserable!”

  
The metal door of the warehouse’s entrance swung open as Toh and Jiang carried in the culprit by the arms and legs. His face was covered by a burlap sack, but Ran Mao tensed up. She recognized his scent. Her grip onto Lau’s arm tightened and she leaned into him. Lau glanced at her quickly but then back over to the man hidden by the sack. 

  
The thugs brought the man over to some wooden rods that were strategically placed on the warehouse floor. The victim, now conscious, struggled a bit but they managed to force him into a kneeling position onto the rods for Kia Quen - the interrogation technique.

  
They tied three bamboo boards around the victim’s feet. These boards were connected by a rope which could be pulled to either tighten around one’s ankles or snap forcefully on them. It was not life threatening, but it was known to be incredibly painful and could break the sensitive bones if pulled tightly enough. Even if that was not the case, there was no way to leave the procedure without major bruising and difficulty walking.

  
Once he was in place, Toh pulled off the burlap sack from the victim’s face. Revealed was a middle aged man with a cloth tied tightly around his mouth to keep him from making any noise. Nevertheless, he appeared clean cut. He had a birthmark on his cheek.

  
While there was no visible change, Ran Mao heard Lau’s heartbeat pick up.

  
Bowing a little himself, Jiang spoke up. He said, “Lau _Xiānshēng_ , I believe you know this man because he’s an executive at Kunlun like yourself. We got him while he was on his way to the Kunlun offices.” It was a Saturday, much too early to be going to the offices even it had been a weekday.

Soo must have already known who it would be, because no further introduction was given.

  
Jiang took the cloth away from Shen’s mouth. He breath heavily, slack jawed, eyeing those watching him. A trace of dried blood was already sticking to the side of his head, presumably from his capture earlier from the Toh and Jiang. He appeared exhausted, though the interrogation had yet to begin.  

  
Soo lead the questioning. He was in no mood to put up with anything other than the truth.

  
“How did you come into contact with Sun Yee On?” he asked.

“I...I didn’t...I don’t know! I-I don’t kn...You have to let me live, you can’t kill me! You cannot-”

  
Shen started to beg. With the clear sign that his blabbering was going to lead to nowhere, Soo raised his hand slightly and the thugs tugged on the strings. The boards snapped shut, hard, and there was a scream in pain. Under the authority of Soo, Lau did nothing but watch. Not that he would have done anything anyway.

  
“I’ll ask you again. How did you come into contact with Sun Yee On?”

  
“No, no-” Shen begged. The boards started to tighten again and he winced. “Th-they found me! They came to me! I didn’t go to them, you have to believe me!”

  
The tug on the boards loosened a bit.

  
“And?” Soo continued. “How did they find you?”

  
Shen hesitated, but when the boards started to get tighter, he quickly spoke, “I-it’s known amongst groups that Qing Bang has a hold on K-Kunlun, but not completely run by it, so Sun Yee On knew if they f-found somebody n-neutral there, who k-knew Lau, then...then…” He paused, as if somebody would finish his sentence for him, but nobody spoke. Shen finished, “Then they could lead them to him.” He glanced towards Lau. Lau stared coldly back.

  
“Did they say anything about _her_?” Soo asked, gesturing towards Ran Mao.

  
Shen stared at Ran Mao, obviously confused. “Nothing! I don’t know her!”

  
Soo glowered in skepticism, “They said nothing at all?”

  
Shen started blabbering again, incoherently. The boards were used again, this time obviously with more force. Toh and Jiang didn’t hesitate to give some blows to the rest of his body while they were at it.

  
“ _He is telling the truth_ ,” Ran Mao interrupted, but not until after they’d given Shen a little bit of hell. Soo slowly shifted his gaze at her, and she added, “ _I can sense it._ ”

  
The thug Toh spoke up from beside Shen. “I believe there had been rumor that she may have been hidden with Lau _Xiānshēng_ …”

  
“And knowing that, all they’d have to do was find someone audacious enough to lead them to me,” Lau finished the thought.

  
Soo slowly nodded and turned back to Shen. “What was their reasoning for coming to you, if not the girl?”

  
“They s-said Lau took their mo-money! That they needed to find him be-because of that!”

  
“What did they offer you in return?”

  
Shen gave a hefty amount. “I was desperate-”

  
“As an executive at Kunlun, I wouldn’t think that you would need more money,” Soo pointed out.

  
Shen couldn’t think of anything to say, but Lau answered for him, “Job security. That’s what the real bargain was. He had no need for money.”

“You were to be the next in line to serve as the head of the Shanghai branch of Kunlun?” Soo understood. Of course he knew of Lau’s job position, as well as the fact that the next heir was not particularly cut out to be the following executive.

  
“Considering his inabilities,” Lau said, gesturing towards Shen. “Yes. They could have offered him nothing and he would have done it. It’s the title he needed, not the money.” Just as a jab towards Shen, Lau added, “Besides, he knows that once his father either retired or died and I became on top, he’d be jobless.”

  
Getting rid of Lau by having him die seemed low even for Shen, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Second Handedly, surely it didn’t feel as much like murder.Shen was horrible, but he never appeared to be the murderous type.

  
The interrogation continued, increasingly more violent. It became detailed, tedious, and eventually it seemed apparent that Shen knew nothing much else except that Sun Yee On was there in Shanghai - the obvious. His traitorship to Lau was nothing too convoluted and his knowledge of Ran Mao and the swords appeared to be nonexistent.

  
“He’s not going to say any more,” Soo finally ended it. Shen shaking heavily with a sweat dripping down his face. He looked up at Soo. “Lau _Xiānshēng_ , get rid of him. Choose whatever method you’d like.”

  
Lau stared at Shen coldly a moment, who looked back at him with pleading expression. Lau decided, “ _Lingchi_. As usual, I’ll be the one to perform it.”

  
Shen’s eyes widened with horror. “No, you can’t! Please-” Shen started to beg again, so Toh and Jiang started to beat him quiet.

  
“Get him ready,” Lau said, motioning towards Shen. “I’ll prepare myself.”

  
Toh and Jiang promptly obeyed. They untied Shen from the boards. He couldn’t stand on his own, but it mattered not. They pulled him up by his arms and dragged him to one of the backrooms. That was where the wooden pole typically used for Lingchi was located.

  
“You’re still not staying?” Lau asked Soo, who was visibly preparing to leave.

  
“I have no desire to watch you tear a man to pieces. I know how much you get into it,” Soo said. “I trust the girl will immediately alert me if any extra information is extracted?”

  
“Of course.”

  
“Good. Now go. You know where to reach me,” Soo concluded. Of course, that spot would be the Qing Bang headquarters.

  
Lau made his way towards the storage closet to gather supplies. Ran Mao followed.

* * *

Lau rummaged through some of the materials until he found what he was truly looking for: a sleek and sharp sword. It was long at about the length of Lau’s arm. Ran Mao walked over to it for a closer look, observing her reflection in the shiny metal with interest. He left her hold it momentarily. It was heavier than one would think, though for Ran Mao it felt like a feather.

Lau pulled out a bag. Ran Mao saw the white substance inside. “Now, my little kitten, you saw those planks by the ceiling?" Lau asked. Ran Mao noddd. "What I’d like you to do is perch yourself on one of them in the room in which Shen is located. I believe it would be best for you to stay out of Shen’s sight during this process. Even though he doesn’t know who you are, knowing that you’re involved and watching may make it worse. The less people, the better.” Lau’s mouth twitched slightly. It could have been a smile or a frown. “Go ahead and wait for me in the other room.”

She did as she was told. Ran Mao transformed into cat form, leaving her clothes behind. The walls separated the different rooms, though there was an opening at the top that allowed her to climb onto the boards from the main room and slink across to the back room. She perched herself in the corner of the ceiling where two planks overlapped. She had a full view of Shen from behind, meaning he couldn’t see her. He was tied up to a large wooden rod by a drainage hole.

In a few moments, Lau entered the room. The door swung open rather dramatically, and it banged against the walls with a loud slam. He had a smile plastered on his face. He had a gleam in his eyes, visibly bloodshot, as he scanned Shen over like fresh bait. The man stood a little unsteadily, completely excitedly, at the door and held the sword in his grasp.

“You were always deplorable, but that seems low - even for you,” Lau said to Shen. He walked over to a cart Toh and Jiang had brought out. Various weapons lay on it for Lau’s disposal. He started to sharpen the sword on one of the other metal knives with a quick, excited demeanor. The high pitched sound echoed in the room.

“I know you well enough to know that you’re a self-entitled bastard, though I had no idea it was to this degree.” He stopped sharpening the metal and haphazardly dropped the knife he'd used to sharpen his sword onto the cart. He held the sword out in Shen’s direction. “Honestly, I had no idea somebody like you would ever come into contact with a group such as Sun Yee On. That was sneaky, Shen, I’ll give you that!” He swung the sword around a bit as he walked towards his old and now helpless acquaintance. “I would almost be impressed, if it hadn’t been so damn stupid.”

Shen stayed quiet. He seemed to be beyond words.

Lau sighed dramatically. “Toh _Xiānshēng_ , make him talk!”

“ _Shì de, lǎobǎn._ " Toh said.

“ _Lǎobǎn!_ No need for such formalities; I’ve never liked them and this is nothing too formal.”

Toh grabbed the knife Lau had just sharpened and swung it at Shen’s right arm. It cut through the fabrics on his sleeve and bore into his skin. It wasn’t terribly deep, but it was just right to cause a great amount of pain.

“Don’t get too excited, Shen. The shallowest cuts always hurt the most, so we’re going to start small!” Lau announced. “No chopped off arms, no amputated legs, no decapitation yet. This isn’t that easy...!” He scanned Shen with the oddest mix of personal offense and interest.

"You know you deserve this," Lau said, leaning towards Shen.

"I...What are you...?!...You can’t...!" Shen tried to say something - anything - frantically as if he could somehow reason with this intoxicated Lau. Of course it was in vain. Not only was Lau a force to be reckoned with, but Shen couldn't even form a coherent sentence.

Lau glowered. "Your babbling ruins the mood!" He took the knife and traced it down Shen's lips. It was no deeper than a paper cut, but blood began to seep out quickly and into Shen's mouth. He continued to move the dagger over to Shen's cheek, giving a thin cut that inflicted more intimidation than actual damage. "I'd cut your entire tongue out right now but I need face mainly in tact until the end.”

Shen tried to squirm but with no real success. Lau watched a moment and then traced his thumb over his newly sliced cuts, as if caressing Shen. Lau smiled. “I like to see my victim's expressions. But now I hope you choose your words more carefully. With all the blood, endless chatter may be difficult."

Ran realized this was going to be a mess.

Lau held out the sword and started cutting off Shen's clothes, exposing his skin. Lau eyed it and traced his pointer finger down Shen’s chest. "Not even a single scar! What a pleasant life you've lived up until now!" He smiled and stopped, keeping his finger placed on Shen's lower abdomen.

Shen, despite his warning, continued to throw out any words of desperation that he could.

“I’ll leave Kunlun! I’ll leave this entire city!  You just have to let me go alive! You have to! I’ve got my wife, and my children-”

“I don’t really care,” Lau shrugged. He stepped back “They’re probably better off without your cowardly ass! But congrats on them! It’s been years but still to this day, I’m amazed you pulled that off. Shows money can really buy you everything...”

“I-I’ll give you money!” Shen said, with a thick voice behind compiling blood. “I’ll give you whatever you want, just name a price!”

Lau gave a stab into Shen’s shoulder. The man screamed as Lau jammed it around. “Money equals power and power is the reason we’re all here, my old friend. I wouldn’t give a shit about any of this if it wasn’t for those two concepts! Money makes the world go around. That’s something both the rich and the poor can agree on.” Lau pulled the sword out. Shen screamed again. The blood gushed down his chest and seeped into his clothes which were still attached waist down. “But I don’t need you to donate me your spare change to have power. Besides, I’m bound to get it all anyway once you’re gone. I prefer to make investments. I’ll get more in the long run this way.”

“I will leave here! I’ll never come back! Kunlun can be yours, I don’t care about the money, I-” Shen’s words were cut short by another stab into the upper part of his arm. Blood pushed out again. When Lau pulled the sword back out haphazardly, parts of the flesh fell out too. Lau’s eyes widened. You could see them clearly now - his dilated pupils, focused on Shen.

"I told you to shut the hell up if you’re going to be saying nothing important already, Shen! You really don’t listen to anybody, do you?" Lau swung the sword again and quick flick and another piece of flesh from Shen’s chest came flying off. The blood spewed out quicker. "Toh, gag him.”

Toh shoved a towel into Shen's mouth. The man couldn't form a word.  He screamed into the cloth but eventually quieted down. The towel, originally white, was quickly becoming red. Lau stayed still with the sword hovering over Shen's wound. As he quieted, Lau shoved it back into the freshly given wound. There was more muffled screaming. Lau grinned, enjoying it like a show.

"Do you know what _Lingchi_ is, Shen?" Lau asked. He started circling the man. He kept the smile on his face and the wild look in his eyes. With every cut, he seemed more excited. "It's also called Death by a Thousand Cuts. Not something that would take place in your little world of the bourgeoisie!"

He struck again. Shen screamed from behind the towel. Lau's stance wasn't entirely steady and his grip on the sword wasn't very firm, but when it came to blowing wounds, his technique was still precise.

Lau leaned close to Shen's face. "Don't fret; it doesn't actually take _that_ long. Though I’m sure it feels like an eternity for you." He traced his finger down Shen's cheek again. His fingers were painted with blood. "Then again, they say after this you're never whole in the afterlife, so believe what you will about that. But! - if you talk, it’ll be quicker for you now, and that could be considered a blessing for you."

Lau staggered back. He looked to Jiang and Toh. “You can have a little fun with him. I’d just like to watch for now!”

What Toh and Jiang did was dreadful. Shen was completely stripped down and whipped or scraped in every place seemingly possible that still kept him alive and conscious. A few times he seemed to fade out, but they had techniques to bring him back. After what must have been five or ten minutes, Lau spoke up again.

“I think he gets the point,” Lau said. Toh and Jiang backed up. They were splattered with blood as well. Ran Mao understood why they would set the operation up over a drainage pipe.

Lau said, “Take off the towel. You two can leave. I’d like to talk to him alone now. Wait outside and keep watch. When I’m finished, come and clean up.”

The two left on Lau’s word. Once the door shut behind them, Lau turned to Shen. He’d seemed to calm down a little; maybe the high was wearing off. Now he was functioning off of years of pent up anger. However, Lau changed his demeanor. It was a last minute play, that last desperate move, but Shen had no more brain power to understand that. Lau said, “I’ll make a deal out of this, because I've known you so long.”

Shen was willing to ignore every sign that it was a trap. He nodded fervently, attracted to the deal like a moth is brainlessly attracted to the light.  

“Is there any information that they told you that you haven’t said?” Lau asked. He was talking quickly, excitedly, breathing heavily between his words. “I know you know something, Shen! Anything!” He studied Shen’s facial expression. “I resent you, I really do and I always have, but I’ll make a trade. Just like Kunlun, no? Because apparently you know your shit better than you lead on.” Lau said. “You tell me all you know, and I’ll let you walk out of here alive.” He looked at Shen’s feet. “Though I don’t think walking is much of an option for you, we’ll get you out. Out of Shanghai, yes, but you’ll be out with your life.”

But when a moth touches the light, they die. 

While it was hard to understand from the wounds around his mouth, Shen didn’t hesitate to talk. His speech came out in a string of words, barely distinguishable from one another from the pain behind each syllable. He occasionally had to stop to recompose himself. “All they told me was that you had their money. They said if I told them, they’d pay me that large amount...And yes, whether they knew it or not, my position was guaranteed. They just needed your address. I told them where you lived, and I mentioned _Long de tou_...That attracted their attention more."

Lau had the sword lifted to Shen's neck. He asked, "Why were you going to Kunlun at this time?"

Shen paused, but then he admitted, "They didn’t come to give me anything for awhile. I didn’t know if it was because they just hadn’t done it yet, or if they were unsuccessful. As time passed, I figured it had to be the latter...I knew what you did at the office was illegal. Every money transfer, every trade - all of it had something terrible hidden behind it. Be..between you having it your way or my father, I would have rather it have been you at first. I didn't care as long as I kept my title! Once that was threatened, I realized I had to care...So I started keeping a record of everything that didn't match up. Of everything that didn't add up. I'd go in early to do it, so nobody would see..it's hidden in my desk, in the bottom drawer! You can destroy it, I don't care anymore!"

Lau stored the information away for later use. "And? They never came back?"

Shen shook his head. "Finally, just yesterday, they came with a reward. It was after you left. It wasn’t anything like what they promised, but they made it clear not to argue them on it...They said they were leaving in three days after that...They said if I told, they’d kill me! I wasn't sure if that meant they'd done it or hadn't, so I...I still went in today...th-third drawer, remember! You can destroy anything I've found!” 

“Do you know how many of them are going to be going down? Or what route they are taking?” Lau asked. It didn’t matter whether or not Shen knew anything else at this point. If the members were going back to Canton, they had the sword and they were content with that alone. It could still cause damage.

“That’s all I know, I swear on my life!”

Lau kept the sword above Shen’s neck, killing distance. “Obviously you are.”

“I truly don’t know! You’ll let me go now, won’t you?” It was more of a pleading than a question. “That’s all I know, I gave you what you wanted.”

Lau didn’t do anything.

“No, you can’t leave me here like this! I have a family to support! I have to get out! You can’t leave me to die with no bad feeling at all! It’s - it’s _not human_!”

Lau glowered. “ _You_ were the one who wanted me dead!” He lifted the sword and gave another slash to Shen’s bloody legs, followed by another, and then another. There was another cry of pain. “You were the one who tried to kill me -as well as take away the lives of all my customers and employees!” Lau moved down. The blood was pooling on the floor underneath Shen’s post. “You betrayed me, and here you are betraying Sun Yoo On as well. And you’re saying _I’m_ not human?”

The screaming had stopped, and Shen was close to being unconscious at this point. Lau stood, splattered in blood himself, panting heaving as he held the sword in both of his hands. His arms were shaking as well. The crazed look was almost completely drained from his eyes, and his expression become more blank as he stared at his old acquaintance - or what was left of him. It was only take one final blow to the throat to finish him off. Lau held the sword to Shen’s throat again, but then pulled it away. He staggered back.

“You want inhuman?” he muttered. He glanced up to where Ran Mao was perched. “I can give you that...Ran Mao, finish him off.”

Lau haphazardly tossed the sword back onto the cart and turned to exit the warehouse. Ran Mao waited for him to be gone before she sweeped down to the floor. It had never been the plan for her to participate, but she would always do what she could to please her master.

With one quick motion across Shen’s neck, she made him breathe his last.

* * *

Ran Mao did go to the Qing Bang headquarters, as instructed by Soo. However, as she hurried over, her mind was racing. She realized there was no reason to say that Sun Yee On was leaving in two days. All Lau had to do was claim to be going on Kunlun business - perhaps even to investigate the swords situation - and she and him could intersect the band of Sun Yee On members before they reached their boss.

She was, thankfully, certain that none of the members would wield the sword before their master. The power of the sword did not automatically make them some sort of god, especially without Ran Mao or another being like her at their disposal. It was the type of power that had to be built up over time and grew on the master - if one tried to activate it, they could still be easily taken down at first. Chances were, their leader had offered them all plenty of benefits if they got the thing to him.

It was in the headquarters, along with Soo, that Ran Mao saw the Head Dragon. Apparently he had found the problem of the swords large enough to talk to Soo. He was just as she remembered him. He was tall man with an influential presence. It was hard not to stare at him. Old and experienced, the Head Dragon was dressed in the finest silks that one could find in all of China. He appeared stoic, as his facial expression showed no emotion. Despite the respect that was demanded from his looks alone, Ran Mao stood straight and looking unwaveringly at the boss. He did not seem offended. He eyed her as carefully back.  

She gave them the run down - everything minus the fact that Sun Yee On was leaving the day after next. Soo commented, but the Head Dragon said nothing. He just continued to listen silently. Soo seemed disappointed, but satisfied with Ran Mao's input. With a respectful bow to the Head Dragon, Soo left the room.

Ran Mao remained a moment, waiting to see what The Head Dragon would do. He continued to sit.

Then he finally said, “I know you have an abundance of power, so keep in mind I say this with the utmost formality and simple necessity that would be required with anyone. Silence amongst our own is as bad as traitorship, and as you should know by now, if you rebel against Qing Bang, then it will not end well for you.”

Ran Mao nodded, then she left.

* * *

 

Ran Mao made her way back to the offices at _Long de tou_. Their opening would have to wait a little longer being that they were to make the journey to Canton. 

As soon as Ran Mao returned, she knocked on Lau’s bedroom door.

“Come in.”

Ran Mao went inside. The room was a mess. He held some sort of book, but Ran Mao noticed that he was only on the first page - and from what she guessed, he had been on the first page a while. Besides, the curtains were blocking the window so it was too dark to truly be reading.

He looked up. Seeing her, he gave a small smile. “Ah, little kitten. I was waiting for you.” He seemed to have mainly sobered up by now.

She walked over to him and sat in his lap. He tossed the book onto his bed and put his arms around her. She nustled her head against his neck and collarbone. He stroked her hair gently. Both were silent for a time. She hated to break the moment, and she knew the last thing Lau wanted to do at the moment was think about the swords or Sun Yee On, but given the time condition, she had to tell him.

“We have to leave soon, don’t we? I know - time is sensitive,” Lau said. “We have to get far enough down to reach a point where we know we’ll have to intersect them.” He sighed. “I looked over the maps some already. I don’t know how they’re getting back for the majority of the trip. With them avoiding cities, it could literally be anywhere that isn’t civilized, road or not. The only road they’re bound to take eventually would be the ones leading into Canton. So that's where we'll have to meet them."

Ran Mao nodded. She sat up, glad Lau was willing to act rather quickly.

“I’ll go into Kunlun today quickly,” Lau continued. “I’ll leave a note saying I had to go out of town for a  business emergency.”

Ran Mao stood up so Lau could do so as well. He got up slowly. From his facial expression, she could tell he felt slightly queasy - the after affects of the drug, perhaps.

For once, Ran Mao didn’t follow him as a cat. She stayed behind to tell Peijing that they would be gone for at least two weeks. Peijing had acted slightly strange around Ran Mao since their little affair, but Ran Mao hadn’t behaved differently in the slightest.

“ _Lau said you can be in charge while we are gone_ ,” Ran Mao said. “ _At nighttime, he said Deshi Xiānshēng can come in if you are not comfortable._ ”

“Um, I...okay, thank you,” Peijing said. She was staring at the ground. “I thought Lau would never go back to Canton. If he’s willing, it must be a big deal...you two will be okay, won’t you?”

Ran Mao nodded. “ _Yes._ ”

Peijing gave a small smile and nodded. "I know _you_ will be."

* * *

It would be odd to many how easily Lau could casually write to his boss - the man he’d known for the majority of his life - that he was going on a business trip the same day after murdering the boss's son. It would be odd how he could, without too much second thoughts, leave the note of a blatant lie on his boss's desk. It would also be odd how he could go into Shen's office, an office that was no longer Shen's, and go to the third drawer without too much regret about being the reason it no longer belonged to Shen. And it was downright worrisome how Lau didn't think too much at that moment about the fact that the person he'd known since childhood, and had even been friends with, was dead by his account. But he couldn't think of these things. He had no place in his life for those emotions. Attachment would have been his fatal flaw.

Lau rummaged through the drawer and pulled out a folder containing various accounts of his own works. Some were the actual copy of his own work, presumably stolen from his office. Lau skimmed through them all. He suddenly felt a pain of something and decided it was time to leave.

He took the papers that had the power to incriminate him. By then, it was about midday. Though chilly, it was sunny and rather nice outside. Civilians were out and about. Children laughed and shouted on the streets by the harbor. Lau watched the life as he walked. Ignorance truly was bliss for them.

He went over to the docks, where various big ships from both the Western and Eastern Worlds were anchored down. He could say where each individual ship had come from, how long they would be there, and what they transported. Some of the items were his own, transcribed in the papers which he held in his grasp. Lau glanced around to make sure nobody was actively watching him.

Lau dropped the papers in the ocean, watching the ink spread to illegible blots on ages and eventually disintegrating into the waters, unknown forever.   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading guys, and feel free to comment! (And yes, I know the torture scene may not be 100% accurate in how a person on the brink of death would talk, but being that this is based off of a manga, I figured stretching a little would be okay.)
> 
> Anyway, hope to update soon again!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lau and his gang finally come face to face with Sun Yee On for the swords, and then there must be a decision what to do with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone and thank you for sticking with me so long for this story! I'm sorry there was such a long wait between this and the last chapters. Now we've finally reached the end of it all. I hope you enjoy!

**April 1885**

**Canton, Guangdong China**

Apart from food and weapons, nothing much had to be brought to Canton with the selected Qing Bang members. There were twenty men sent, including Lau and Ran Mao. Each had a concealed sword, dagger, or even a gun on them, except for Ran Mao who had her chuí. Still, they managed to pass by the various cities as traders themselves. They had split up to look less suspicious and to cover different entrance points of Canton once they arrived there. Certainly Sun Yee On split up to throw off any pursuers as well. Only a very small fraction of the triad had traveled to Shanghai in the first place, and many were taken out there, so they couldn't be too big of a force.

There was almost no stopping in order to beat Sun Yee On. They only did when the animals pulling the carts absolutely had to rest. Days of traveling passed slowly, drearily. It was the calm before the storm. It was generally quiet, with everyone thinking about the same objective. 

After over a week of travel, the groups arrived to Canton. It was the middle of the night, with only the moonlight allowing them to see. That was ideal.

“I haven’t been here in a long time,” Lau commented as they pulled up to the outskirts of the town. It appeared as if his eyes were barely even open, but Ran Mao could tell his was scanning the premises nonetheless. 

“ _ You are from here _ ,” Ran Mao said.

Lau made a humming sound in affirmation. “ _ Luò yè guī gèn _ .” All fallen leaves return to the root of the tree. 

Despite whatever damage had been done decades before, Canton had rebuilt itself as a great port city.The only difference was that there may have been a little more European influence in the design. They didn’t do any sightseeing at this moment, however. 

“It’s not like I remember much,” Lau continued. “That was quite a long time ago. Longer than you’ve been around, Little Kitten.”

Now it was simply a matter of a waiting game. 

Lau’s group, consisting of himself, Ran Mao, and three other men, covered the southwest entrance. Ran Mao stayed hidden though, being a giveaway of who they were. She watched from a building top, ready to spring down on the culprits whenever they arrived. Though not many commoners came by, of course they had to inspect the ones that did to make sure it wasn’t anything affiliated with Sun Yee On. 

Right before the sun rose, two men came up with two carts pulled by oxen. It was nothing special or attention-grabbing.  They looked like any other traveler - ignorant and not a threat in the slightest. Still…

“Get out of the cart,” one of Lau’s men instructed. The two men sitting on the outside were quick to obey.

But then a gunshot came from the inside of the cart, only just missing Lau’s left arm. 

Everything became a blur. Weapons were drawn, animals fled. Ran Mao took no hesitation to jump down to the scene, her chuí out. She took out one of the men with a gun pulled out with a quick whip of her arm, and then made her way quickly to the carts. Inside were a few other men, but being trapped inside the area with Ran Mao was to their disadvantage. Even in the small area, she could dodge their strikes, and once she struck them down, she was quick to look at what else was inside. 

There were various boxes, some full with supplies the members must have used and others existing as blatant decoys. It was the second cart that she felt a pull towards a box in the back. It was plain and extraordinary, made of a light colored wood. Ran Mao felt something special about it - a gravitational sort of pull. She lifted the top open and saw underneath some blankets, two magnificent swords. There they were - the Gan Jiang and Mo Ye. They were just as they were at her old owners’ house, with intricate designs on the handles and those shiny, sleek blades. She felt a fleeting feeling of happiness. 

There was no time for nostalgia though, especially as she heard a grunt and felt a body crash into the cart, knocking it over. Everything in it tumbled sideways, including Ran Mao, but she kept a strong grip on the swords’ box. The girl pulled herself outside. The man who had fallen into a cart - tragically, a member of Qing Bang - appeared fatally hurt, but the man who had pushed him into the cart was perfectly fine, and he caught perfect sight of Ran Mao with the goods.

Knowing she shouldn't fight all the men while protecting the sword, Ran Mao made a split second decision: escape. 

So she ran. She went faster than any regular human could. Through the alleys, camouflaging with the darkness of the shadows left in early daybreak to be hidden by any curious eyes. Her feet hit the dirt paths silently, light enough to leave almost no trace of footprints. 

This panicked running through the streets of Canton eventually brought her far enough to meet the rivers that lead into the South China Sea. She could have thrown the swords into the waters, but the dangers there were still too high. They could wash ashore, but even if not, they would still be dangerously close to Sun Yee On territory. If something supernatural like herself was to lead them to it, as unlikely as that may have been, it could have been disastrous. Besides, throwing such a sacred object haphazardly into the sea would be the utmost disrespect to the spirit world and, considering her connection, to herself. That was not where it belonged.

“The SS Mary leaves for the Port of London in two minutes. Right on time.”

Hearing a voice, Ran Mao hid herself behind some crates. She was located at the ports, which never slept.  Peering conspicuously from her hiding spot, she saw one of the foreign men holding a pocket watch. He was talking to a Chinese official in perfect Cantonese. Despite the sun only beginning to show itself, the ports were always awake. Various cargo ships were anchored down, but the foreign man then gestured to the biggest one closest to Ran Mao.  

Having the sword land in the wrong hands anywhere in the world could be bad, but the immediate problem was having it be caught by Sun Yee On. She wasn't sure if there was a safe enough way to carry it back to Shanghai with Sun Yee On realizing that they had intercepted it. 

However, if it ended up in England, they couldn’t reach it. At least no time soon. They'd eventually hear Qing Bang didn't have it, and by the time they did, she could be well off to England. It would be a long journey, but she had no other choice.

The girl checked to make sure neither man was looking in her direction before bolting towards the SS Mary. On the deck, she found the door leading down to its cargo. It was a large space, with only a little light trickling in from the window on the door. Ran Mao hid the sword’s box behind some wooden crates. She checked the crates to see what they were carrying. Inside were various pieces of ivory. Remembering that in case it was important, closed the lid and wished the swords a safe travel.

There was a sudden lurch in the ship which would have normally thrown anybody regular off their feet. She realized that the ship was leaving the port. She ran back up the stairs and peeked out of the door’s window. There were only a couple of sailors there, but she couldn’t wait for them to leave.

Ran Mao swung the door open. The two men turned around, curious and then shocked to see the nearly naked girl standing there. 

“Hey, what are you - ?” One of the men started to ask, but Ran Mao put a finger to his lips. It silenced him and the other man, and through her supernatural aura, put them in some sort of allured trance. It was that opportunity she took to give them both a quick hit to the head. It wasn’t enough to leave any lasting damage, but it left them unconscious just long enough for her to run to the edge of the ship.

She looked at the deep waters and had to push away all of her feline feelings of repulsion before taking a dive in. The March water hit her as a cold shock, especially with the sun having had no chance to warm it yet. As quickly as she could, the girl swam back to shore and pulled herself back onto the docks. She shook the water off as an animal would and, seeing that the coast was clear, ran back to find Lau and get the groups out of there. Their job was done.

* * *

Some men hadn’t survived, but the majority were able to retreat alive. It wasn’t retreat in the losing sense, though neither mafia group had exactly won either. The only ones winning by any stretch of the word were Lau and Ran Mao, assuming that they could get to England and find the sword before any other group. 

Lau had agreed to go to London with her. They planned to tell the Head Dragon and Soo truth of its location. Qing Bang would promptly send them to London to locate it before Sun Yee On or some other threat could take it. Of course, upon actually locating the sword, then Lau and Ran Mao would break away…

As for Kunlun, Lau had his own plans. 

“That British man Nicolas Mitchell proposed I take a position in England a while back. I had initially intended to turn it down, but now it's proved to be the perfect opportunity,” Lau explained. “He said he would be in Hong Kong until the end of April. I know exactly where he works there. It’s closer to here than Shanghai; I think I’ll go pay him a visit to accept his offer and we can be on our way as soon to Europe as soon as possible.”

The rest of Qing Bang’s carts and supplies were destroyed, so they were left to their own devices to get back to Shanghai. This was no problem; transportation was not hard to find. Besides, splitting up would most likely be safer and less suspicious. 

Lau and Ran Mao split up, determined to find transportation to Hong Kong. He was rather quiet as they passed through the streets of Canton, now downtown with the common folk. It was just as lively as Shanghai, the only difference being the overall warmer weather. Ran Mao liked the feeling of the sun on her skin, even if it did feel like they were practically swimming in the air from the humidity. Lau didn’t seem to mind that, however. In fact, he seemed rather content with the environment. Everyone appeared to feel the same and took advantage of the good weather. The streets were packed.

It was particularly spirited today, however. Children ran through the streets flying kites shaped like animals. The smell of dumplings was strong in the air. One could hear singing and some streets even had dance performances and parades. 

“ _ It is fifteen days after the Spring Equinox _ ,” Ran Mao said. “ _ The start of the fiifth solar term. _ ”

“It’s  _ Qingming _ ,” Lau said. “Ancestor’s Day.”

“You could pray to your relatives since we are here,” Ran Mao suggested. “Before we go.”

Lau was lost in thought a moment, but then he shot this idea down. “If they’re not already watching over me, a prayer won’t change that. Why don’t you pray to yours?”

“ _ My ancestors are cats _ .”

Suddenly Lau smiled, and he began to laugh. He laughed harder and more authentically than Ran Mao had ever seen him do before, and it would have concerned her if the situation wasn’t already so odd.

“I think I know where to get a ride to Hong Kong. It’s a place that never takes a day off, even on a day like this.”

The couple went to a merchant’s square. Ran Mao realized it was the same one that he had met his guardian Hsiao, years before. It was there Lau managed to make a deal with a trader heading to Hong Kong. 

They left Canton that afternoon, sitting alongside the merchant in the bench at the front of the cart. The driver made occasional small talk with Lau. 

“So are you from Canton or Hong Kong?” he asked as they drove away from the city. 

“Shanghai, actually, though originally Canton,” Lau said. 

"You're here to visit family, I presume?" the merchant asked, but Lau shook his head. 

"No. Business."

"I see... Which place do you like better?” the merchant inquired.

Lau glanced back to the city of Canton, now appearing small in the distance. A city restored from ashes caused by the source of the fire itself. 

Lau shrugged. “I’m not fond of either.”

* * *

 

It took a few days for them to arrive in Hong Kong. Lau thanked the man and gave him what was due. 

“I assure you, this is worth more than anything you have to sell,” Lau said, a little patronizingly but generous nonetheless. He handed him the money. Ran noticed that it was much more than what the merchant had proposed. The merchant appeared a little stunned, but incredibly thankful, and wished the pair the best. 

Sir Nicolas Mitchell was at the Port of Hong Kong, by Victoria Harbour. Lau introduced himself as an executive at Kunlun and was immediately welcomed inside the appropriate office building to speak with Mitchell. Ran Mao waited outside, in cat form, content with watching the people pass by.

It was almost two hours later when Ran Mao saw Lau come outside, followed by Nicolas Mitchell. The foreigner was absolutely glowing.

“Again, this is so wonderful! You’ll be an excellent addition,” Mitchell said. He almost looked ready to part ways, but then he added, “Oh! I almost forget!” The man dug around in his coat pockets a moment before pulling out a small, circular metal object. He gave it to Lau. “Not that you need it I’m sure, but it’s a compass for you. It’s special, though, see? It has the British Kunlun logo engraved on the back.”

“That’s very nice, Sir Mitchell.”

“Oh, of course! Every employee gets it; just consider it a welcome gift. Now you can just follow that arrow north to England!”

“The arrow to England, hmm?” Lau repeated, mind somewhere else from the compass. He suddenly pocketed it, apparently ready to get on his way. “Thank you again, Sir Mitchell. I’ll be off to catch that ship!”

“See you in England!”

After the Englishman had gone back inside, Lau made eye contact with the bluish black cat watching. “Mitchell is letting us ride to Shanghai with a few of these businessmen in one of their ships. It’s the quickest and safest way back. From there we can pack and catch the next ship to London.”

A few passersby looked at Lau funny for talking so seriously to a cat. He just smiled at them and shrugged like an apparent ditz. 

“You’d better stay like that,” Lau added. “Mitchell only assured the ride for me and I think it would be easier to sneak on deck as a cat than a person.”

* * *

**May 1885**

**Shanghai, Jiangsu, China**

“I’m glad for you, but remember that you don’t have to go,” Zhao said for perhaps the hundredth time. He was looking into Lau’s office from the hallway with a sense of melancholy. Lau had already packed everything, though. The room was completely empty apart from him and the last box he held in his grasp. 

“I’ll be back,” Lau assured, maybe lied. He really wasn’t sure what the future held past England. “This is just a wonderful opportunity to...broaden my horizons!” He walked out of the room and gave the office one last look. He then closed the door behind him. “It’ll be a good way to learn more of the English markets, and of course I’ll be reporting back to you quite often.”

Zhao sighed. “That’s good. I just don’t know where I’ll find anybody as efficient as you…” His eyes wandered to Shen’s office across the hall. It still had all of Shen’s belongings, a symbol of hopeless hope for his return. “Still no sign of him.”

Zhao wasn’t looking at Lau, so the man didn’t bother to look sympathetic. “I’m sorry to hear that, Zhao  _ Xiānshēng _ .”

Zhao shook his head. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault.” 

Lau didn’t say anything. Zhao cleared his throat. “I wish you the best, Lau  _ Xiānshēng _ . You’ll do wonderfully in England.”

“ _ Xièxiè _ ,” Lau thanked, and exited the headquarters of Shanghai’s Kunlun branch for the last time. 

* * *

Everything belonging to Lau and Ran Mao at  _ Lóng de tóu _ was gone. Peijing watched them pack the last of their items outside, a strange expression etched onto her face. 

“That’s the last of it,” Lau said. He smiled at Peijing. “You’re free from me, my sweet Peijing. I’m giving  _ Lóng de tóu  _ to you, though.”

“What? But I really can’t afford to buy it,” Peijing said. “You know what I make.”

“Didn’t you hear me? I said I’m  _ giving  _ it to you, not selling it. I’ve got much bigger moneymakers than this,” Lau said. “You know as well as me it wasn’t the established business itself making me the profit here. Feel free to sell it. Then you take that money and...do whatever you like with it. It’s not my problem anymore. I wish you well, though.”

“I... _ Fēicháng gǎnxiè _ , Lau  _ Xiānshēng,”  _ Peijing said, bowing.

“No need to thank me like that; you know I’m not one much for formalities,” Lau waved her gratitude off. “Now we must go to catch our ship. Maybe I’ll see you again, maybe not." He turned to Ran Mao.  "Come on, Little Kitten…”

Ran Mao, standing by Lau’s side, walked over to Peijing to give her one last hug. " _Goodbye, Peijing._ " Peijing hoped neither of the other two noticed her blushing so heavily, though by the look of amusement on Lau's face, she was sure that they did. 

Ran Mao pulled herself into the cart. Lau got up front, and waving one last time, started down the road. Peijing watched until after the turned a corner, out of sight. She then faced  _ Lóng de tóu. _

She had no idea what the hell she was going to do with this dump, but at least it was at her jurisdiction. 

* * *

**April 1886**

**London, England, United Kingdom**

Ran Mao watched from upstairs as Madam Red left the opium den the next day. Then she walked into Lau’s room, where he was grooming himself at the mirror and appearing rather proud as he did so. 

“Ah, my little kitten!” he greeted. “And how are you?”

“ _ Fine _ ,” Ran Mao stated and she sat down on his bed. 

Lau finished what he was doing and laid down next to Ran Mao. The girl laid down as well, absentmindedly running her fingers across his chest.

“Usual day today,” he said. “I’ll deal with more trades, you’ll keep the clients occupied...and I'll write back to Soo to let him know that there's still no sign of those damn swords.  I just wonder if the Queen somehow found out about them. It seems impossible that  _ nobody  _ at the port knows about them even when we knew the name of the specific ship. They keep track of everything that goes in and out of those things...”

Ran Mao nodded. Her eyes caught something red on Lau’s nightstand. She sat up and reached out for it. It was a hat. She picked it up and sniffed it. 

Lau watched. “Anne left that. I’ll give it back whenever I see her next. She may even come back for it first, if she’s desperate enough...for the hat, the opium, or for me!”

Ran Mao put the hat back in its place. “ _ She is crazy _ .”

“Aren’t we all?”

The girl shook her head again. “ _ Not like her _ .” 

Lau turned around to face Ran Mao. He eyed her curiously a moment, but then simply smiled. “That just makes it all the more interesting.”


End file.
